Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS)

If you are concerned about what you are putting into your body, this is the course for you. This course will relate the concepts of nutrition, diet and exercise to good health. It focuses on healthy eating and will examine the role of nutrients in the body, eating disorders, types of exercise, fad vs. healthy diets, caloric intake vs. caloric output and normal eating. Students will be able to prepare healthy meals and make choices about food that contribute to their wellness now and in the future.

This course provides students with basic food preparation skills and nutrition awareness. Students will investigate nutrients and how their choices in food can affect healthy living; learn about the food groups and plan healthy balanced menus; practice kitchen safety and sanitation, learn kitchen measurements, equivalents and recipe parts; use kitchen equipment and appliances properly; work in teams to design, prepare and serve nutritious food recipes; and apply science, technology, engineering art and math (STEAM) principles within the context of the course. 

This course will reinforce the principles of nutrition and basic food preparation skills learned in Food and Nutrition. Students will practice safety and sanitation; prepare foods from all food groups and desserts with greater skill and techniques; present foods to be evaluated by others; learn table service and settings; research careers related to food, nutrition or food preparation; research technological appliances that make preparation easier; and explore issues relating to the path of food from farm to table.

The Global Impact of Food Production introduces students to foods from other countries and issues related to global nutrition from production to consumption. Students explore the issues and conditions which affect the availability and quality of food in the global market; examine technological advances in the food industry; examine the environmental, social, health and economic costs of food production. Students also look at a wide range of careers in the food production field.

This course is organized into four disciplines: introduction to food science, food biochemistry, food microbiology, and the future of food science. This class encourages students to use their knowledge of food and science to participate in food experiments and discover how science affects the foods we eat. Students should be advised this is not a cooking class; it’s a class where food is part of the experiment. 

This course is for students who are interested in careers that work with people. Human services workers are those ready to offer a helping hand to people. Students will explore a variety of career opportunities in the human services field and gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary to work effectively in it. Students will also look at careers that focus on the phases of human growth, demonstrate an understanding and sensitivity to individual, ethnic and cultural differences among individuals and families and analyze their personal skills, interests and career goals.

This course provides students with a broad foundation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to promote growth and development across the lifespan: child, prenatal development, infancy, toddlerhood, and aging. Topics include observing children; child, parent, family, and community connections; brain development and prenatal development; postnatal period; infancy; toddlerhood years; special challenges for children, adult and elder years; and career pathways across lifespan. Students may have opportunities to observe and interact with young children and the elderly. This course meets the New York State parenting education requirement.

This course explores the many factors related to the health, welfare and development of children from the prenatal stage to age 12. Students will learn how children grow and develop physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually during each stage of life. Students also will discuss psychological theories and current issues related to each stage. In addition, the course addresses the legal and optimal requirements for the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of children with special needs. Students who are interested in psychology, social work, health care, medicine, education or child care should take this class.

This course will meet daily during the first semester.

This course provides students with a broad foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to promote quality growth and development of children and families in school, community, and workplace settings. Students will develop understanding of the diversity of families and how diversity impacts parenting choices and outcomes. Students will have the opportunity to examine the wide variety of career paths in community and family services, and to identify the knowledge and skills necessary for success within the field. Students will also have the opportunity to experience "Baby Think It Over", a real life infant simulator.

This course will meet daily during the second semester.