DEPARTMENTS & CURRICULUM
Faculty Departments
Our classrooms are places where godly instructors, gifted at teaching and in love with their subjects, converge with motivated young minds from committed families. Departments work together in a collaborative fashion producing an effective professional learning community for academic growth. More than half the faculty has advanced degrees and all of our AP teachers have been trained and certified by the College Board. Our teachers are ACSI certified and are required to complete 20 hours of continuing educational units every school year for professional development.
Curriculum
BCHS is committed to offering an academic program that prepares students for the challenges they will face in their lives, educationally, personally and spiritually. Through rigorous coursework and focused instruction, our students come to love and value education as a way to honor God, and to develop a passion for lifelong learning using higher level thinking skills to outthink their generation from a distinctively Christian worldview. It is the goal that all BCHS graduates will be prepared to be service-minded citizens, effective communicators, critical and higher level thinkers and quality producers.
The course offerings at BCHS follow a college preparatory program, which meets the "a" to "g" requirements for a high school student to enter the University of California (UC) system, California State University (CSU) system and private and Christian colleges.
In addition to these requirements, 40 hours of Community Service are also required for graduation.
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Advanced Placement
AP courses were developed by a committee of college faculty and Advanced Placement teachers. AP courses cover the breadth of information, skills and assignments found in corresponding college courses. Each AP course has an exam that participating schools administer in May and represents the culmination of college-level work in a given discipline in a secondary school setting.
Though graduation credits for AP courses are earned for the subject area in which they belong, they are grouped here to display the wide-range of AP courses offered at BCHS.
AG Science
In lieu of the traditional science courses, students who plan to apply to colleges with strong ag programs have the option of taking specialized ag science classes each year. Courses related to the field of agriculture are offered in the social sciences as well.
Athletics
Students receive up to 10 credits per year toward the physical education graduation requirement by participating in sports in lieu of traditional PE class.
Bible
Our mission as a Bible department is to passionately herald the truth of the Christian worldview. It is our firm conviction that without a Christian world and life view, education is left without a foundation. Theological training provides meaning, scope and direction to the whole educational enterprise.
Dual Enrollment
Four courses are currently offered in partnership with Bakersfield College: Writing and Composition, Public Speaking, and Spanish Levels 1 and 2. BCHS faculty teach the courses on this campus and are also adjunct faculty at BC. We will expand the number of offerings as student interest grows.
Educational Support Services
The Educational Support Services Program serves to meet the needs of students who require additional classroom support. Students receive extra instructional support in small group tutoring sessions. Specially trained educators support and encourage students on a regular basis in their academic studies by using teaching strategies which will provide the student with the tools necessary to succeed in the classroom and ultimately in the college environment.
Electives
History + Social Sciences
The goal of the History and Social Sciences Department is to help our students achieve their fullest potential and to see them soar. The story of the relationship between God and man is told through the annuals of history. It is through history and social sciences we have a unique opportunity to look at the world around us and learn more about who we are as people and who God is as creator.
Mathematics
The Mathematics Department teaches from the true university model of education that centers all learning on the central nature of God. Mathematics is based on the reality of the created order and on the structure that God has given to it. Math is the language of science and technology. It influences banking, space travel, construction of automobiles and buildings, sports, and the computer industry. Math is a creative, dynamic system that we use to model and understand the world around us. It reveals glimpses of the vast creative nature of God and challenges us to sound reasoning and difficult problem solving.
PE + Health
The Physical Education Department is dedicated to pursuing the physical, mental, and social well being of every BCHS student. Through a variety of activities, students will learn more about themselves, build character through team work, and play a variety of sports. The goal of the Physical Education Program is to guide students in the process of becoming physically active for a lifetime. Physical education is a component of education that takes place through movement.
Science
It is the mission of the science department to inspire students to develop a love for science and see that science is evidence for the existence of God. The science department strives to be an example to our students that Christians need to play an influential role in the field of science. Our goal is to provide students with a solid foundation in scientific disciplines as we integrate technology, data analysis, and project-based learning. We hope all students who graduate from BCHS are able to take the education they have received in this department into their college and adult lives, whether or not they pursue a career in science.
Visual + Performing Arts
Requirement: 1 year for College Prep
The Arts at BCHS points students to their Creator by teaching the values of creativity, personal expression, and effort over time, teamwork, and individual achievement. Through the arts, students are able to express their God given image-bearing nature. Students will consistently perform with an exceedingly higher standard of excellence. The VPA department at BCHS offers such diverse courses of study as Art, Show Choir, Band, Theater, Guitar, Graphic Design, Digital Film Production, Floral Design and Broadcasting.
World Languages
Requirement: 2 years for College Prep, 3 years for Honors Academy
The World Languages Department offers students the ability to study Spanish or American Sign Language. We provide introductory up to advanced level courses which allow students to be prepared for AP exams. It is encouraged that they might consider traveling to a foreign country where the language they are studying is used. We offer school sponsored trips to make this possible. Our growing department is seeing interest in foreign language rise to the level of students seeking a major or minor in college in the language studied at BCHS. Others are planning on using it in their vocations as well as in missions.