Business Academy Core Elements:
The student must successfully complete any six of the following classes, three of which are categorized as business classes. Three of the classes must potentially earn college credit (Courses in italics are potentially college credit bearing classes).
Business Classes
Business Management (090)
Digital Media for Business (045)
Accounting I (050)
Personal Finance (055)
Honors Accounting I (056)
Honors Accounting II (057)
Introduction to Law (096)
Principles of Economics (685)
AP Economics (975)
Math Classes
Statistics (991)
AP Statistics (880)
AP Computer Science A (940)
AP Calculus AB/BC (950/900)
Calculus I (951)
Co-Curricular Extensions: The student must fully participate in at least one cohort activity per year. A cohort activity is one of the following extracurricular activities at BHS:
Titan Challenge (Required for all Grade 9 students)
BHS Math Team (Grades 9-12)
BHS Mock Trial Team (Grades 10-12)
BHS Speech & Debate (Grades 9-12)
BHS Stock Market Game (Grades 10-12)
Seminar Activities: The academy student will participate in six of eight activities to be held by the BHS Business Academy. The seminars will be as follows:
Grade 9:
Semester I: Family Business
Semester II: Digital Design & Marketing
Grade 10:
Semester I: Personal Finance
Semester II: Advertising
Grade 11:
Semester I: Statistics & Business
Semester II: Financial Fitness
Grade 12:
Semester I: Job Skills
Semester II: Ethics
The Work Ready Credential: All academy students must earn the WorkReady credential, a certificate sponsored dually by the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Department of Labor. Students may earn the credential by meeting WorkReady requirements, which include development of a portfolio representing student understanding of seven work standards, qualifying CASAS exam scores in Reading and Mathematics, and successful completion of a mock interview conducted with a a community business partner. Students may also obtain the WorkReady credential by completing Personal Finance (055) or Cooperative Education (395) and successfully passing the WorkReady exam.
The Capstone Project: Academy students will successfully complete a capstone project where the student is a self-directed learner. The student will engage in an independent research project with the assistance of an adult mentor. This project acts as the culmination of the student’s participation in the Business Academy. Once the project is completed, the student will present the paper to a panel of professionals. The timing of the project will occur as follows:
Grade 9: Identify areas of interest for inquiry
Grade 10: Select Capstone Project
Grade 11: Capstone Research (with mentor’s aid)
Grade 12: Complete and present capstone project