Middle School

6th Grade Play (6th Grade)
Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Hearn

What a great event to bring in the holiday season. The 6th grade play is a holiday celebration with music, which teaches students stage presence, acting, singing, dancing and so much more. This is a great opportunity for students to be introduced to a large production in costumes, music and acting.

                     
Intro to Mathcounts (6th Grade) 
Mr. Rivera & LaTech Math Team

This course is an introduction to Mathcounts to help students excited about one of AEP’s oldest and best academic clubs. This course will introduce 6th graders to basic Mathcounts skills and concepts that will be essential when participating in the Mathcounts Competition Series as 7th & 8th graders. Concepts that will be covered will be divisibility rules, GCM, LCM, factorials, perfect squares, perfect cubes, and equations of a line, to name a few.

Science Olympiad (6th Grade)
Mrs. Blount

Science Olympiad is a science-based academic competition. During this elective, students will engage in a sample of a few Olympiad events. Science Olympiad content supports middle school science standards and allows students to practice fun STEM skills like cryptography. Students are encouraged to join the AEP Science Olympiad team, but are not required to join. Students will prepare for competition during this elective time. AEP Science Olympiad teams will compete in the Louisiana Tech Invitational competition one Saturday in January.

6th Grade Statistics (6th Grade) 
Mrs. Pipes

Statistics are the sets of mathematical equations that we use to analyze data. Stats keep us informed about what is happening in the world around us. In this course, students will take an in depth look at 6th Grade Statistics which are required by the Louisiana Department of Education. Topics include statistical variability, and summarizing and describing distributions.  

Public Speaking/Communication (6th Grade) 
Mrs. Williams

The goal of this course is for students to gain skills, experience, and confidence when speaking in public. Students will learn public speaking tips and techniques, as well as gain experience by giving brief speeches, for a variety of purposes, and for a variety of audiences.

7th Grade ONLY

The Study of US History Documents (7th Grade)
Mrs. Wynne

Students will explore and dig deeper into United States documents within 7th grade standards that were monumental in our history. While using a variety of sources, students will dissect the documents and important events that occurred concurrently. This course will involve students analyzing documents, political cartoons, letters and other primary sources through project-based learning and group discussions. Students will also take a field trip to the North Louisiana Military Museum to observe artifacts from the Civil War to the current day.

Intermediate Art (7th Grade) 
Mrs. Clary

The 7th grade students will develop an understanding of how to incorporate the elements and principles of design into their artwork. They will also be taught more advanced skills using color theory, mixing colors, along with shading and highlighting. More advanced drawing skills will be developed through drawing with direction and direct observation, such as a still life. This class will also encourage creativity and personal expression while focusing on basic skills and techniques. The end of the year will consist of an art show to display their work.

Yearbook (7th Grade)
Mrs. Postel

Yearbook elective is a class where students help design the AEP yearbook. Students must be driven and willing to help build the inclusion of all classes in the yearbook. As the yearbook is designed, the students will learn how to use templates and insert and edit photos.  

7th Grade Statistics (7th Grade) 
Dr. Joseph

Statistics are the sets of mathematical equations that we use to analyze data. Stats keep us informed about what is happening in the world around us. In this course, students will take an in-depth look at 7th grade statistics which are required by the Louisiana Department of Education. Topics include an in-depth look at measures of central tendency, probability and random sampling.

Next Level Pre-Algebra (7th Grade) 
Mrs. Pipes

In Next Level Pre-Algebra, students will master computation and problem-solving with rational numbers, i.e., fractions, decimals, and percents, as part of the process of algebra readiness - preparing for 7th Grade Math. This creates a solid mathematical foundation for future subjects such as 8th Grade Math, Algebra I, and Geometry.

7th & 8th Grade

Entrepreneurship (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Ketchum

Foundations in Entrepreneurship is a digital curriculum that features video lessons by Dave Ramsey and his team of business experts. The curriculum covers essential business topics and allows students the opportunity to develop a business idea through project-based learning over the course of the 9 weeks period.

Mathcounts Competition Series (7th & 8th Grade)
Mr. Rivera & LaTech Math Team

The Mathcounts Competition Series, is a nationally recognized competitive math program for middle school students. It is designed to help students develop their problem-solving skills, math knowledge, and critical/logical thinking skills. Students will have the opportunity to participate in several math competitions during the year and learn from LaTech math professors.

Music Theory & Songwriting (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Miller

In this course, students will be working on building their music theory knowledge. They will learn how to read music, what basic chord structures look and sound like, as well as songwriting fundamentals. At the end of the 9 weeks, students will have written their own song and will be able to understand how the songwriting process works and the theory behind it.          

Bullpup Broadcast (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Postel

This high level course is designed to give students hands-on experience with producing a school news show for video broadcasting on a bi-weekly schedule. Students are responsible for visual and technical aspects of news broadcasting and journalism. Broadcasts include world news, entertainment, campus news, sports, and school interviews, featuring personalities from our AEP Bullpups.

Cursive with a Purpose (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Wynne

In this course, students will learn how to write in cursive. Then students will apply their cursive writing skills to create thank you letters, write persuasive paragraphs, create letters for various purposes, and for a variety of audiences.

Journalism (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Slocum

In this course, students will step into the world of journalism and graphic design as they prepare and publish Middle School Newsletters each nine-week period. They will learn to gather information on happenings at A. E. Phillips to share with the student body. Students will write articles and gather photos and graphics to include in the newsletter that will inform and engage all of their readers while using Canva to help produce a visually appealing product. This is a great opportunity for students to get creative and have fun sharing information with students and parents about the awesome things happening with our AEP Middle School Bullpups!

8th Grade Only

The Study of US History Documents (8th Grade)
Mrs. Wynne                                                        

Students will explore and dig deeper into United States documents within 8th grade standards that were monumental in our history. While using a variety of sources, students will dissect the documents and important events that occurred concurrently. This course will involve students analyzing documents, political cartoons, letters, and other primary sources through project-based learning and group discussions. Students will also take a field trip to the North Louisiana Military Museum to observe artifacts from the Civil War to the current day.

Advanced Art (8th Grade)                                                        
Mrs. Clary

This class encourages personal expression, while developing creativity through exploring different art materials, methods, and techniques. The students will use a variety of media through drawing, painting, printmaking, and perspective drawing. Students will learn principles of color theory, 3D art form, and art history. This class will also focus on composition and critical thinking skills. The end of the year will consist of an art show for students to display their work. Also, local artists will be invited to share their work, profession, and careers with the students. For example: studio artists, and professional artists in graphic design, architecture, photography and watercolor.

8th Grade Play (8th Grade)
Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Hearn, & Mrs. Wick

In a matter of about eight weeks, the 8th grade class at AEP successfully put on a full Broadway Jr. performance at the Ruston Dixie theater. This is an amazing opportunity for students to learn teamwork, stage presence, and build confidence. Students are required to memorize character lines, dances, singing and so much more.

Next Level 8th Grade Math (8th Grade Only) 
Mrs. Kelly

In Next Level 8th Grade Math, students will master the Pythagorean Theorem, Scientific Notation, and Exponential Notation, which are all requirements for 8th grade math. This will create a solid mathematical foundation for 8th grade math and future subjects such as Algebra I, and Geometry.

8th Grade Geometry (8th Grade) 
Mrs. Kelly

This course is designed to take an in-depth look at transformations, which is a requirement for 8th grade math and a prerequisite for Geometry in high school. Students will be able to better understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software.

Advanced Geometry (8th Grade Accelerated) 
Dr. Joseph

This course is designed to take an advanced look at transformations, which is a requirement for 8th grade math and a prerequisite for Geometry in high school. Students will be able to better understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software. This course is a required elective for 8th Grade Accelerated students only.

7th & 8th Grade

Cursive with a Purpose (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Wynne

In this course, students will learn how to write in cursive. Then students will apply their cursive writing skills to create thank you letters, write persuasive paragraphs, create letters for various purposes, and for a variety of audiences.

Journalism (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Slocum

In this course, students will step into the world of journalism and graphic design as they prepare and publish Middle School Newsletters each nine-week period. They will learn to gather information on happenings at A. E. Phillips to share with the student body. Students will write articles and gather photos and graphics to include in the newsletter that will inform and engage all of their readers while using Canva to help produce a visually appealing product. This is a great opportunity for students to get creative and have fun sharing information with students and parents about the awesome things happening with our AEP Middle School Bullpups!

Music Theory & Songwriting (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Miller

In this course, students will be working on building their music theory knowledge. They will learn how to read music, what basic chord structures look and sound like, as well as songwriting fundamentals. At the end of the 9 weeks, students will have written their own song and will be able to understand how the songwriting process works and the theory behind it.                     

Bullpup Broadcast (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Postel

This high level course is designed to give students hands-on experience with producing a school news show for video broadcasting on a bi-weekly schedule. Students are responsible for visual and technical aspects of news broadcasting and journalism. Broadcasts include world news, entertainment, campus news, sports, and school interviews, featuring personalities from our AEP Bullpups.

Entrepreneurship (7th & 8th Grade)
Mrs. Ketchum

Foundations in Entrepreneurship is a digital curriculum that features video lessons by Dave Ramsey and his team of business experts. The curriculum covers essential business topics and allows students the opportunity to develop a business idea through project-based learning over the course of the 9 weeks period.

Mathcounts Competition Series (7th & 8th Grade)
Mr. Rivera & LaTech Math Team

The Mathcounts Competition Series, is a nationally recognized competitive math program for middle school students. It is designed to help students develop their problem-solving skills, math knowledge, and critical/logical thinking skills. Students will have the opportunity to participate in several math competitions during the year and learn from LaTech math professors.