Explore Our Courses

The overall objective of this course is to learn how to make jewelry safely, correctly and creatively. With this information, students are encouraged to be innovative and unique with their projects, bringing their own character and personality into their pieces. Currently in Natalie Brown’s class, students are making positive/negative pendants, honing skills like sawing, filing, polishing, applying patinas, cold connections, acid etching and wire work. A variety of different media are used, including glass, resin, clay, copper and paper.

In this required course, students learn basic health and wellness principles and apply the necessary skills to make informed decisions about their physical, mental and social health.CPR and AED training take place over the course of three weeks. Learning these lifesaving skills can help students respond to an emergency situation with confidence and care. Students who meet the American Red Cross criteria will receive the chance to become certified. Those who took the course last semester will be given the opportunity to take the certification exam during their Pr1meTime. Featured in the video, freshmen Camdyn Kuntz and Kinley Brownlee demonstrate CPR and AED use.

The course allows students to take a deep dive into European history, covering the time periods of the Renaissance through modern day. Students will research and write about the global nature of historical events, including political, economic and social issues. Through project-based instruction and various activities, students will work through nine units to learn about the modern-era Western Civilization at a college level. Currently, students in Christopher Brittingham’s classes are working on a project where they are tasked with researching a topic relating to the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. 

Derby High School offers a number of vocal music courses, including vocal training in singing, music literacy and sight-reading for advanced work. In each class, students practice their songs for the next concert. There are five total choirs. Choralaires and Men’s Chorus are auditioned choirs, where every student will start. Bel Canto is the auditioned women’s choir. Philharmonic Choir is the auditioned mixed choir, and Madrigals are the top mixed honour choir.

In this class, students use the metric system of measurement, laboratory skills and scientific processing methods throughout the year, while learning the names and the symbols for elements, ions, compounds and chemical equations. Other topics of study include detailed structures of the atom, nuclear events, the Periodic Table, the theories for chemical bonding, the mole concept and the principles of chemical reactions. 

This program provides students with opportunities to go beyond the standard classroom experience. Students engage in independent research projects and participate in specialized courses tailored to their learning needs. This encourages collaboration as well as independent study, allowing students to move at an accelerated pace or explore topics in greater depth.

In this class, students explore the economic, social, and political developments of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Japan, Greece, Rome and the Islamic World.This week, students in Preston Peer’s class listened to guest speaker Matt Dweir, the Education Manager from the Museum of World Treasures.

In this course, students apply basic Physics skills and knowledge fundamental to all sciences. This course uses science investigation, measurement in the Metric System and data in the creation and interpretation of graphs throughout the semester.

Algebra 1 introduces linear equations and inequalities, systems of equations, arithmetic operations applied to polynomials, factoring second-degree polynomials, graphs of linear equations and inequalities, irrational numbers and radical expressions, the quadratic formula, direct and inverse variation and word problems. 

This course provides students with the essential skills, techniques, and knowledge necessary to succeed in the professional food industry. Through a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction, students learn the fundamentals of cooking, baking, and food presentation, while also developing an understanding of kitchen management, sanitation, and nutrition.

In Clay Fundamentals, students are encouraged to exercise their creative abilities by using references and creating clay pieces with their own details added. Students will learn different art techniques using different media and designs.

In this course, students take care of a robot baby for a weekend while catering to the child's needs, including feeding, crying, burping, and changing diapers. Currently, in Family Studies, students are learning how to properly use baby carriers.

This course focuses on leadership, responsibility, character-building, and honor. Students dress in uniform on certain days and undergo a uniform inspection. It is a great opportunity for students to learn leadership skills and be more involved with the community.