Departments

The visual arts program provides a journey of artistic discovery for creative self-expression and personal fulfillment and for developing right brain functions considered essential for tomorrow’s leaders, inventors, thinkers, and artists. The program also provides important preparation for future success in an information society that emphasizes visual imagery for communication. Study in the visual arts begins with two trimesters of exploratory art experiences followed by 9 one-trimester courses of in-depth study in Digital Art and Animation, Ceramics, Drawing, Creative Dimensions, Jewelry, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Further advanced study is available in all areas with two additional levels of study offered.

Also available for the seriously interested college bound art student is advanced placement college credit through enrollment in Portfolio on an instructor permission basis.

All students entering the AVHS Visual Arts Program for the first time and who have not completed an equivalent course begin with enrollment in one of our two Introductory Survey Art classes. Those art students wishing to enter two-dimensional in-depth study areas (Illustration, Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Creative Dimensions and Photography) enroll in Introduction to 2-D Art.

Those art students wishing to enter three-dimensional in-depth study areas (Ceramics, Jewelry, Creative Dimensions and Sculpture) enroll in Introduction 3-D Survey Art. The Introductory 2-D Art and 3-D Art classes are the foundation art courses that provide opportunity to meet the needs of both the generally interested student and the student interested in in-depth study. They offer interest exploration in a broad range of media contributing to student creativity, perceptual awareness, non-verbal communication skills, and cultural appreciation.

Students completing required and/or elective courses in Business and Marketing gain a broad range of skills including business, accounting, management, marketing and personal money management, as well as other skills

Career Development classes are designed to take students into the 21st Century international workforce. Business and community leaders across the nation indicate that students must have a sound academic background combined with the ability to apply what they have learned to succeed in the workforce. The Career Development courses will help students select career areas on which to focus that can lead to appropriate post-secondary training with no limitations on level of advanced degree to which a student might aspire. Registration: Students will select the courses through the regular registration process in their high schools. Students may select offerings at any of the District 196 sites as indicated. Course descriptions are found in the Career Development Registration Guide supplement or see your counselor.

Transportation: Transportation will not be provided for students who register for a course at a site other than their resident high school.

Availability: Classes will operate on a space available basis with priority for seniors followed by juniors

Our goal in English Language Arts is to provide students with a rich offering of courses in literature, writing and speaking that spark interest in the dynamics of effective communication, provide opportunity for intellectual growth and equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for life after high school.

The English Learners (EL) program is a series of courses designed to help students whose first language is not English. The goal of the program is to help students reach grade level proficiency in the four areas of language acquisition: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Depending on their level, students take one, two, or three hours of EL. Sheltered Civics and U.S. History are offered for students in Levels 1 and 2, and some students in Level 3, with teacher recommendation. In addition, an EL study hall is available as support for any student whose native language is not English. In addition to the English credits earned in the AVHS EL program, all AVHS EL students are expected to earn a minimum of 6 English Department credits.

Family and Consumer Science ~ Life Skills for the Life Span! These classes will prepare students for real life. FCS courses provide a comprehensive, foundation designed to assist students in developing the core knowledge and skills needed to manage their lives. Emphasis is on foods and nutrition, human and child development, leadership, family and parent education, consumer economics and resource management, housing, interiors and living environments and career preparation. Critical skills in decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, work and family management, and workplace readiness are reinforced through authentic experiences. A unique focus is on the management of families, foods, work and their interrelationships. Take the FCS challenge and enhance your lives forever

The mathematics curriculum in District 196 addresses the concerns that have been identified in mathematics education. The textbooks provide materials that use current technology and real-life applications. They also incorporate reading, integrate with other subjects, and present material needed by all students in the future. Success in any mathematics course requires a solid background from previous coursework, proper study skills, and a commitment to daily work. Please feel free to contact any member of the department with your questions.

The Arts are valued and important to the educational well-being of our young people and our country. Arts education benefits both student and society. It benefits the student because it cultivates the whole child, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. This process requires not merely an active mind but a trained one. Arts education also helps students by initiating them into a variety of ways of perceiving and thinking. Learn more about our Arts opportunities.

The Apple Valley Health and Physical Education Department is committed to helping teenagers lead active, healthy, and safe lives. Through a dynamic curriculum, we focus on the essentials of wellness and the importance of an active lifestyle.

In Wellness courses, students learn informed decision-making in areas like nutrition, mental health, healthy relationships, stress management, and chemical health. Physical Education offerings include activity courses such as Racquet Sports, Team Sports (fall, winter & spring), and Basketball Theory. Fitness-focused classes like Cardio Fitness, Weight Training, Basic Self-Defense, and Total Body Fitness help students build strength and endurance. Additionally, our Safety Education Class (Driver Education) teaches motor vehicle safety, CPR fundamentals, and prepares students to earn their Minnesota driver’s permit.

Join us to build strength, confidence, and lifelong wellness. Together, we’re shaping a healthier, more active future for every student.

Our science teachers have developed a broad range of courses all designed to peak the interests of students in the areas of Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science and engineering. Our courses have been developed to best match various learning styles as well as interests.

In planning your path through the 4 years of high school in the sciences, please remember that you are required to take 3 years of science to graduate including a biology course and either a physics or chemistry course. That said, we and colleges we talk to highly recommend that you enroll in 4 years of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. 

In addition, our Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology, and Honors Chemistry courses along with electives such as Anatomy and Physiology (a College in the Schools course - or CIS), AP Chemistry, and AP Physics are courses designed to broaden the background of students who are interested in science as a possible career or field of study in college. We also offer electives in astronomy, meteorology, ecology, and STEM principles for students who want to learn a bit more about our planet and universe. 

Science education doesn't stop at the end of 7th hour, either. Through the science department students may participate on the Science Olympiad team, the Rocket Team, and/or the First Robotics team after school. All of these teams are a part of national programs and have competed in regional, state and national tournaments in the past. Check with your science teachers for more information (also in the activities section of the AVHS website). 

The goal of the social studies department at AVHS is to expose our students to a variety of people, cultures, ideas, and ways of thinking. It spans from the study of government, economics and human behavior to the cultures and histories of all parts of the globe. Students are encouraged to actively engage in our classes, which will sharpen your skills and make you a more informed and competent world citizen.

The Special Education Department at Apple Valley High School is committed to providing a full range of services for students with special needs. These services include opportunities for skill development, academic support in resource and specially designed classrooms. In addition, support services staff integrate into the mainstream, working collaboratively along side general education teachers of the AVHS community. Special education teachers support and consult with the general education teaching staff and team-teach in targeted classrooms.

School Psychologists

Welcome to the Technology and Engineering Department. Our department offers a variety of hands on learning experiences in the following fields of technology: Engineering, Architecture, Computer Animation and Graphics, Woodworking, Metalworking, Small Engines and Fabrication (in the AVHS International FAB LAB).

In these courses we explore production and manufacturing processes. We emphasize critical thinking skills including problem solving and applying a design process. We offer the students the ability to apply skills in a real world setting with hands on, activities based learning. They are using more than theory in their activities. The skills that they learn are valued by many college engineering programs and by companies with a STEM focus and that are technology oriented. Also look at our Project Lead the Way information. This is pre-college engineering experience.

Our department offers a unique opportunity for students to explore cutting edge technologies such as 3D printing and scanning, laser engraving and CNC machining and plasma cutting. This is done in our state of the art facility, the AVHS Fab Lab, which is a member of the International Fab Lab Association.

Work Experience offers special support to students while promoting the goals of increasing employability skills, developing vocational training and awareness, and promoting student success at Apple Valley High School.

The World Language department offers students the opportunity to study French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The unique focus of these classes develops an understanding of different cultures through language learning. The classes concentrate on speaking, writing, listening and reading of the language. These courses are interactive and give the students ample opportunities to work with the language in an authentic way.

Merci, Danke, Arigatou, Gracias