Academics
 Academic
and Life Skills Integration At the Ranch, our equine and vocational program are integrated with our alternative education-based academic lessons in keeping with the educational standards for secondary schools set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Our program utilizes real-life experiences to teach reading, writing, public speaking and communications, life and plant sciences, chemistry, mathematics, vocational trades, physical education and health, technology in media, music, and the fine arts, psychology, and cultural diversity. “Relevance to Life” Lessons Academic science units involving biology, chemistry, plant science, and ecological studies will be integrated into the equine program through lessons involving equine and human anatomy, feeding practices and nutritional issues, agriculture, land and soil conservation, and woodland, stream, and wildlife education. Knowledgeable and qualified guest speakers from the community and surrounding areas, combined with field trips to horse-related businesses and industries provide “life relevance” to the science curriculum. Budget and Financial Planning Academic mathematics units will involve and include important financial skills such as: bookkeeping and record keeping, budget planning, balancing a checkbook and bank account, financing and loan acquisition, payroll and small business concerns, and the application of math and geometry in building construction through the planning, drafting, and building stages of a real structure in a hands-on approach. Technology and Media Through the use of Internet research, digital video recording and editing software, music composition and recording technology, and visual and audio presentation, students will learn to create CD and DVD recordings of their efforts and achievements in the equine and vocational program for use in the advertising and public relations fields. Social and Interpersonal Skills Students will attain and build social and interpersonal skills necessary for real-life relationships in and out of the workplace. After intensive and practical instruction and preparation, students—in the company of staff counselors—will be given opportunities to volunteer and/or job shadow responsible and successful adults who work in vocational or horse-related industries. Through valuable mentoring experiences, our students will recognize the importance of responsibility, perseverance, and honesty in the pursuit of financial stability. Our academic program operates according to the standards for secondary education set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in cooperation with the Southern Fulton School District in Warfordsburg, PA and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11. |