F.A.C.S. (Family and Consumer Sciences)

- What we do to make our department and club special:

Each course offers something unique, not repetitive

• field trips are different for each course

• cooking labs and sewing projects are different

• videos used to enhance curriculum are different

Courses in F.A.C.S.

1 - Individual Development - beginning cooking and sewing, no field trips, guest speakers, many fundamental skills and lots of hands-on opportunities.

    During the 2004-05 school year our guest speaker have been, Angela Lusardi from the Lynchburg Health Department, spoke on Teen Sexuality and Birth Control. Darryl Updike, a Bedford City Police Officer and Wrestling Coach will come out on Feb 15th and speak on Domestic Violence Issues and Friendships That Could be Dangerous

2 - Nutrition and Wellness - more advanced cooking and nutrition, emphasis on specialty cooking and diets, guest speakers.

    *Special projects: cake decorating and gingerbread houses.  (These are not done in Individual Development)

    This course also caters the Mock Wedding.

3 - Family Management - minimal cooking and sewing, more emphasis on families, their problems, possible solutions, baby and child care, plus a unit on aging, death and dying.

    *Field Trip is to the maternity ward and funeral home, students experience the "Empathy Belly", the "Baby Think It Over", and the Mock Wedding (in that order).

    Videos and guest speakers used are not the same as in Individual Development.

4 - Introduction to Child Care and Nursing Assistant.

    Biggest difference: This course is now a prerequisite to attend BSTC for the Nursing Program.  This course cannot be a dumping ground.  It must have quality students with good character and reputation, or they will not be able to secure a job in either a child care profession or nursing.

    * Hands-on activities, guest speakers, field trips.

We believe that all four courses are uniquely different and that the expectation in each course are high.  Although we usually don't require homework in the Individual Development, it is assigned in the other three courses.  We support the SOL's in reading, writing, math, and science.  We want each course to be unique and non-repetitive, so that when a student takes a higher course they don't say "we did that last year".  Ideally, the courses should be taken in this order:

    First - Individual Development (to get the basics)       

    Second - Nutrition/Wellness or Introduction to Child Care/Nursing (followed by BSTC)

    Last - Family Management - junior or senior year.

        Instructors:  Kelly Millard and Jennifer Hall