High School
Portland Lutheran’s college preparatory high school curriculum is designed to develop well-rounded students with high potential who are excited about learning, self-motivated, resourceful and respectful of others. The program empowers students to be self-directed lifelong learners who are confident in themselves and their faith and are inspired to make a difference in their work and community.
A comprehensive course offering includes standards in language arts, math, social sciences, science and fine arts. Additionally, foreign languages from Spanish to Japanese, sports marketing, statistics and an array of technology classes and opportunities expose students to subjects they may wish to explore further in post-secondary pursuits. All electives are subject to change, based on student interest.
Ninth and 10th graders study the Old and New Testaments in their theology classes, while in 11th and 12th grades, the theology classes are designed to explore expressions of faith. Continuing the path begun in the earlier years, all high school students are required to participate in a minimum of 20 hours of community service each year.
Several specialized programs are made available to students whose ambitions exceed regular curriculum offerings:
The PLS Honors Program is designed to give students with ability and desire an avenue to expand their education. An “honors” designation on the transcript may positively influence college admission and scholarships. In addition to standard curriculum for a given course, an honors student completes an independent, original research project germane to the course work of the class or an accelerated version of the course curriculum. Students must apply for the program and meet specific prerequisites. All projects are under the guidance of the instructor.
Baccalaureate Package (BacPac) is a program for PLS students who have demonstrated capacity for college-level work. In each semester of their junior and senior years and for a minimal fee, students have the opportunity to enroll in a college-level course taught by a Concordia University professor, thereby earning college credit before high school graduation. BacPac offers students the option of getting an early start at fulfilling general college requirements and, at the same time, saving money on college tuition. By successfully completing all four college courses during the 11 and 12th grade years, a student will have finished an entire semester of college even before starting.
Portland Lutheran School is partnering with Concordia University to offer this innovative opportunity to college-bound students who apply and are accepted. Students earn transcripts from Concordia that are transferable to colleges and universities throughout the country. As a bonus, they are considered students of Concordia as well as Portland Lutheran and thereby enjoy corresponding benefits such as library and online privileges.
The first four semesters of BacPac courses include: (Fall 2007) Psy 210 – Principles of Psychology; (Spring 2008) Geo 110 – Intro to Cultural Geography; (Fall 2008) Soc 211 – Principles of Sociology; (Spring 2009) Sci 112 – Environmental Science.For students who are interested in taking on greater challenges in technology-oriented fields, Portland Lutheran facilitates co-attendance at the Center for Advanced Learning, a charter school in Gresham that’s a collaborative project of several school districts.
Portland Lutheran requires a minimum of 28 units of credit for graduation. Graduates meet or exceed all requirements of the state of Oregon as well as the admissions requirements of most four-year colleges and universities. Recent graduates have been accepted at public and private institutions across the country, from Reed, Howard University and Columbia, to Boston University, Purdue, Stanford, Pepperdine and George Washington.
College-bound students can take advantage of individualized counseling from a college counselor, and 11th and 12 graders are offered formal classroom instruction in applying for college. Students are guided toward numerous resources, from a handbook developed specifically for PLS students to online sites. Financial aid and scholarship information is provided as well. A college financial aid officer holds a financial aid information night during the school year to assist parents in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Similar information is made available in print and video formats through the school.
Forms [PDF]
Links
- Online Student Progress Reports
- Altapedia Online (maps)
- Citation Machine
- MLA Help
- http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
- Research Resources
- Web Quest
- Roget's Thesaurus
College Prep Links
