*Please note that course availability is subject to change based on staffing and student interest. All courses are half year courses unless otherwise indicated.
Art
Our art program strives to expose students to a variety of art media such as: sculpting, painting, drawing printmaking and ceramics. Students will continue to explore ways to create interesting compositions and build basic skills, furthering their knowledge of art elements such as line, shape, texture, value and form. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NOMINAL FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF CONSUMABLE MATERIALS.
Band (Full Year Course)
Students will continue to develop their musical skills and use them in a variety of performing situations. Students must commit to weekly rehearsals. Grade 9 Band is filled with performances: the Remembrance Day Assembly, elementary feeder concerts, and concert tours in Edmonton and the Okanagan. Students will also participate in festival and concert performances and work with guest conductors throughout the year. Students must have been enrolled in Grade 8 Band or have an interview with the director in order to take Grade 9 Band. Optional trips are tentatively planned to Edmonton in December and Okanagan, B.C. in late May. Instrument rental is currently $100. There is an additional resource fee of $85 to help cover the cost of clinics, workshops, field trips and festival fees. Students registering for Band are making a full-year commitment.
Business Studies
Do you want to be a millionaire? Want to learn what it takes to create a business? Throughout the semester, students will learn about what it takes to start a business, advertising, investing and savings, culminating with their final project, a presentation on the Dragon’s Den. Students will be working in business teams, designing and creating a product or service and presenting it to a group of judges in a simulated Dragons' Den scenario. In this process, students will learn about marketing, communication, conducting their own market research, and practicing presentation skills. Students will also be participating in the Investment Strategies Program, where they’ll be competing against teams across Canada by investing $100,000 in the stock market and developing their ability to be financially literate
Computer Media Design
Do you want to learn how to PhotoShop images or paint with a drawing tablet? Have you ever wanted to edit a music video or make your own cartoon? Want to learn how to 3D print, and create your own gadgets like fidget toys and iPhone cases? What about creating a robot, programming games, or competing in design challenges with Minecraft? Hosted in the MidSun Technology Centre, students will experience guided design projects based off of the processes that real-world professionals go through every day. Students in Grades 8 and 9 will be able to explore new technologies through independent projects where they explore new technologies that apply to their own interests and potential career paths. In short, if you love technology and computers, this is the course for you!
Construction
Do you like building things? Students in Construction 9 will learn or review shop safety, equipment and tools, and machines. Projects will provide the opportunity to improve both skills and knowledge through practical experience and safety. Projects may include: iPhone amplifiers, bandsaw boxes, gumball machines, and brain teaser games. Construction 9 will be self-directed and self-paced, especially for those who have taken Construction in Grade 8. Once mastery of safety and tool use is demonstrated, students will be expected to create a major project, for a specific purpose, demonstrating the techniques and skills acquired throughout the course. If you have never taken construction, why not give it a try? PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NOMINAL FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF CONSUMABLE MATERIALS.
Digital Photography
Explore the world of digital photography. We will also look into night/early morning photography, the rule of three, the blue hour, and many more aspects of digital photography. Finally we will be printing our own photos and creating simple projects to display your work.
Drama
Do you like to perform? Students will write their own scripts, collaborate with peers, plan and improvise scene work and experiment with both acting and directing. In Drama 9, students will be given the opportunity to find their voice and tell their story in a skills based speech unit. Other action packed performance units include: stage combat, advanced hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting and gore makeup using advanced makeup techniques with professional supplies, such as liquid latex. All acting units will culminate in at least one performance to showcase new skills learned in class, in addition to smaller performances in class held regularly for maximum learning and fun. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NOMINAL FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF CONSUMABLE MATERIALS.
Environmental Outdoor Education
Do you have a passion for the outdoors? Can’t get enough of being active outside with your friends? In Grade 9 Envoe there is no shortage of active fun! You can look forward to learning how to cook meals on a backcountry stove, building slings and splints for backcountry first aid, bike maintenance skills, xc-skiing in our field, avalanche awareness, trip planning, team building games and more! And don’t forget about the field trips! In Grade 9 there is the opportunity to go hiking in Banff National Park, xc-skiing in Kananaskis, canoe/kayaking on a lake, downhill skiing/snowboarding, rock climbing at a climbing wall, as well as a 4-day backcountry camping trip. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF OFF CAMPUS TRIPS.
Fashion Designer
Design, manufacture and appraise clothing and other textile products. This course is for those students interested in learning more about what it takes to be involved in the world of fashion design and pursue a career in the industry. This class offers choices for students to create individual sewing projects. Students will build on their previous knowledge and experience and learn advanced sewing techniques. Fashion students will be instructed on how to use sewing machines and sergers, as well as specific hand sewing techniques, should they be required. This course is suited for students who have a passion for fashion, oodles of creativity, are team players and genuinely interested in learning more about career opportunities in fashion design. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NOMINAL FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF CONSUMABLE MATERIALS.
Film Studies
Discover and develop movie-making skills to communicate, inform and entertain. Discover careers in the film industry and how to pursue them! Students will delve into continuity editing, filming techniques and explore advanced concepts, such as inter-cutting, while using other professional techniques. Students will produce individual and group-based movies with a variety of assignments, in order to provide the maximum opportunities for creative expression and communication. Like watching movies? Examples of Hollywood films will be used within lessons and one full feature movie will be viewed and critiqued in class. Students will watch and celebrate work on the big screen in our very own film festival. That’s a wrap! Who wants popcorn?
Foods
Culinary students will explore the skills and training required for the diversity of careers in the food industry. Examine the role of food, looking beyond consumption to production, visual appreciation, nutrition, meal planning, economics, and preparation, and learn the various skills in the cook trade. Topics may include: food safety, skill techniques, meal plans, event planning, plating, napkin folding, place settings, appetizers, breads, entrées, desserts, snacks and cake decorating. Come learn techniques to create a unique cake design project. Do you want to be the next MidSun Cake Boss? Through problem solving, discussion and reflection, students will appraise their contributions in teamwork, kitchen work and cooking skills, and decide upon strategies to make any necessary changes or improvements for future projects. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NOMINAL FEE ATTACHED TO THIS COURSE TO COVER THE COST OF CONSUMABLE MATERIALS.
French (Full Year Course)
This course reviews and adds to previous French experience while preparing students for high school French. Students must have completed French 8 or a placement interview with the French teacher. This is a very interactive class with an emphasis on speaking, writing and reading. In Grade 9, students will learn to speak and write about sports and exercise, community and housing, as well as work towards perfecting their conversational skills.
Leadership
The Leadership program engages students in activities to promote and foster’s LEGACY within the school culture at MIDSUN. Students are challenged to discover ways to make an impact both locally and globally through events, activities, awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts. Major events include: carnivals, charity basketball game, Adopt-a-Family, Free the Children Campaigns, Staff vs Student Hockey Game, and much more. Volunteer service is an important component of the course with students needing to give back a minimum of 9 hours within the semester. Team building activities, traits of leaders, leadership styles, time management, communication skills and public speaking are a key focus. Successful students in this course will show initiative, self-discipline, a sense of team, a strong work ethic and demonstrate the ability to work independently.
Yoga
The Grade 9 yoga optional course offers students the opportunity to experience yoga as a discipline in its own right. It is designed to introduce to students, in a safe manner, the basic postures (asanas), breathing techniques, and relaxation methods of yoga. Students will develop a healthy and enhanced appreciation of their own body, and an acceptance of its uniqueness. Over time, they will have improved spinal mobility, increased flexibility of movement, increased strength, and improved posture and sitting habits.
