Electives Courses
Fall 2026
Fellowship Hour (12-12:55 PM)
First Hour (1-1:55 PM)
Freshman Foundations
Teacher: Tiffany Parsons
Class Fee: $5
Think of this as the icebreaker for BU! In this class, students will get to know their classmates while learning life skills, tips, and tricks for navigating the high school years and beyond. Our main goal is to form friendships and have FUN. Many seniors report they made their first BU friends in this class. We aim for it to be a memory-maker and a positive kickstart to their time at BU. *This class is mandatory for incoming freshmen.
Discussions That Matter/TPUSA
Teacher: Betty Peterson and Tiffany King
Class Fee: None
This hybrid elective course and club experience gives students the opportunity to explore the ideas and events shaping our world while also enjoying a fun, social environment where they can interact and build friendships. Through lively discussions, guest speakers, games, and group projects, students will sharpen their critical thinking and learn to engage confidently with today’s most important issues. The class is also the home of an official student chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA.com). Founded by the late Charlie Kirk, TPUSA champions personal liberty and limited government while inspiring students to boldly speak up for their beliefs. Student leaders will be elected from within the class, and class members can list their TPUSA involvement on college and job applications. Students who want to dive deeper will have the opportunity to join a chaperoned trip to Phoenix, Arizona in December to attend AmFest (Amfest.com), TPUSA’s flagship student event.
Media Socialization
Teacher: Caroline Zanni
Class Fee: None
An in-depth study of 'Man, Media and Motive: The Power of Social Influence'.
Does our social environment influence the way we think, feel, or behave? Learn to be keenly aware of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) influences bombarding us daily, the hundreds and sometimes thousands of persuasive appeals designed to sell us a belief, a behavior, or a worldview. The average American spends 7 hours a day in front of a screen. These “virtual” influencers can be quite powerful, at the “consumption” rate of 40 hours a week—the equivalent of a full-time job. Even if you unplug the screen, it is difficult to escape mass media influence entirely. After all, companies spend billions of dollars a year trying to influence our behavior.
This course is designed to help you become media literate—to help you understand, interpret, analyze, and respond appropriately to the millions of media messages you are confronted with over the course of the year; to become more than a consumer of culture, but a producer of it. Let's analyze the impact of the social system on the individual, and evaluate mass media's collective spiritual, psychological, and sociological impact on the church, the family, and the culture. Lessons include: "Junkfood Media", "A Brief History of Entertainment Education", "Movie Madness", and "Peer Culture and Conformity”.
Liven Up with Line Dancing
Teacher: Amanda Cooper
Class Fee: None
Join us for a time of learning and practicing several line dances popular today at different social gatherings like the BU Barn Dance! We will learn and practice a few old school dances like the Electric Slide, The Cotton Eye Joe and Boot-Scootin Boogie and adding in a few current steps like The Cupid Shuffle, The Cha-Cha Slide and The Church Clap. And YES, we will even try out the Chicken Dance because… Why Not? With a few others as well. So come on in and let’s have fun while also preparing for all the gatherings to come: graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and just friend gatherings.
ACT Prep
Teacher: Kimberly Taylor
Class Fee: $5
This class will be dedicated to learning test taking skills and practicing taking the different sections of the test. Hints to speed students up, how to quickly determine which answers simply cannot be correct, and how not to get tripped up in the minutiae that doesn’t matter to the question. More than anything, practice. The more the student practices, the more they get familiar, and the better they do.
Second Hour (2-2:55 PM)
Forensics
Teacher: Kimberly Taylor
Class Fee: $15
Limited to 12 Students
Students will learn from a hands-on multidisciplinary approach to understand the application of science in crime scene investigation. Students will examine fingerprinting, fiber analysis, ballistics, hair, fibers, drugs, poisons, and DNA. Mock crime scenes and simple lab experiments should make for fun exploration. Interviews with police patrolmen and detectives will further enhance the experience.
Junk Journaling- A Creative & Reflective Journey
Teacher: TIffany Parsons
Class Fee: $15
Junk Journaling is all about turning everyday “junk” into something meaningful. Ticket stubs, magazine clippings, doodles, notes, photos, random scraps—these pieces will come together to create a one-of-a-kind journal that captures your thoughts, memories, and identity. It’s a mix of creative self-reflection, memory-keeping, scrapbooking, and, of course, journaling! You’ll explore who you are, where you’ve been, and who you’re becoming through this creative, hands-on approach to therapeutic crafting. Through guided prompts, reflection activities, and artistic expression, you’ll dive into topics like your experiences, values, relationships, challenges, and future goals. Artistic ability not required, but must love memory keeping, sentimental whimsy, and paper crafts!
AI & The Human Edge: How to Think, Work, and Live in an AI World
Teacher: Tiffany King
Class Fee: None
AI is changing everything, but how do you use it without losing your ability to think for yourself? In this class, students will learn how AI works, how to use it effectively, and where its limits are. We’ll focus on building the “human edge”—critical thinking, judgment, and knowing when to rely on technology and when to step away, so students can stay capable and adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
The Art of Storytelling
Teacher: Aidan Kinman
Class Fee: None
This class will take a look at how storytelling is done across many different mediums and throughout history. We will look at how stories are told through writing, music, performance, visual art, video games, film, and more. We will look at the ways others have composed their own stories, informing art of our own as we create stories ourselves through the semester.
BUPAC/Crew
Teacher: Joshua Watts and BUPAC Staff
Class Fee: $50 cast/$30 crew (Checks made out to BUPAC Drama)
Casting is by audition only (information coming soon). Students may register to participate in the production crews during the third hour of electives.
BUPAC Cast, Stage Managers, and Crew Leaders should register for BUPAC during the 2 PM and 3 PM hours of BU Electives. BUPAC crews will register for BUPAC for the 3 PM hour only.
Third Hour (3-3:55 PM)
Crochet Club
Teacher: Tiffany King
Class Fee: $10
Curious about crochet but don’t know where to start? In this relaxed, beginner-friendly class, we’ll learn the basics together, starting with simple stitches and working our way up to classic granny squares. From there, students can combine their squares into larger projects like blankets, bags, or gifts.
This isn’t an expert-led class. This will be a learn-as-we-go, creative space where we practice, make mistakes, and improve together. Perfect for students who enjoy hands-on projects, want a calming, screen-free activity, or just want to try something new.
Basic Handyman Skills
Teacher: Paul Briggs
Class Fee: TBD
This course will cover the basics of handyman skills including: safety, measuring & layout, power tools, cutting & basic woodworking, drywall repairs basics, painting & prep basics, plumbing basics, hanging and mounting basics, electrical basics, door adjustment basics, etc. These are great life skills to learn.
Chemistry Lab
Teacher: Kimberly Taylor
Class Fee: $20
Limit: 12 Students
A simple chemistry lab to demonstrate some of the abstract concepts in chemistry. The mass/mole relationship, oxidation/reduction, acid/base titration, separating mixtures, solubilities, and colligative properties, to name a few. A basic chemistry foundation will be helpful to better understand the results of the labs.
Social Psychology
Teacher: Aidan Kinman
Class Fee: None
Social psychology is the study of how our thoughts, emotions and behaviors interact with each other. We will look at a wide variety of phenomena in the real world. What makes people altruistic or aggressive? What effect does media have on the way we interact with one another? How do we study human behavior? These questions and more will be looked at with lots of class discussion.
BUPAC/Crew
Teacher: Joshua Watts and BUPAC Staff
Class Fee: $50 cast/$30 crew (Checks made out to BUPAC Drama)
Casting is by audition only (information coming soon).
Students may register to participate in the production crews during the third hour of electives. BUPAC Cast, Stage Managers, and Crew Leaders should register for BUPAC during the 2 PM and 3 PM hours of BU Electives. BUPAC crews will register for BUPAC for the 3 PM hour only.