COMMUNICATION ARTS PROGRAM

September - October : Ms. Fillman w ill be visit ing DCC middle schools to hold informational meetings, often during lunch. Check w ith your counselor for meeting t imes and dates.

October 21: A CAP informational meeting w ill be held at Blair High School at 7:00 in the auditorium. Parents and students are welcome.

November 1: Applications are due.

December 7: Application programs test date (snow date: December 14; Special Needs Testing: December 8).

Montgomery Blair High School

301.649.2854

http:/ /cap.mbhs.edu/

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSSarah Fillman

CAP Coordinator

sarah_g_fillman@

mcpsmd.org

Montgomery Blair High School

CLASS OF 2024DATES TO KNOW

Students complete independent research projects with guidance from CAP 11 teachers. In addition, they choose a topic and complete their CAP Diamond Project.

To parents and students:

This brochure contains a brief overview of the Communication Arts Program as it has evolved since 1988. CAP is unique among secondary programs in MCPS because of the strong interdisciplinary connections among the humanities courses. These connections have led to an emphasis on student-centered, performance-based assessments, as each project reflects a variety of content areas. Our graduates begin their college careers with a high level of preparation in writing skills and group dynamics experience, as well as time management and critical thinking/problem solving abilit ies. Applicants must live in or attend school in the Down County Consortium to be eligible for CAP. If you have additional questions about the program, please refer to our website, www.cap.mbhs.edu, or call the CAP office at 301.649.2854.

Sarah Fillman

CAP Coordinator

11TH GRADE

12TH GRADEStudents complete their college essay, a resume, mock job interviews, a last lecture, and their CAP Portfolio Presentation

PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTSTo graduate with a CAP certificate, students must create grade-level portfolios that showcase their academic achievements in selected content areas. Students must also successfully complete a multimedia presentation before a teacher panel and fellow CAP students that reflects their academic performance, areas of expertise, and personal growth. Content areas for the portfolio include:

- Knowledge of Great Literature- Creative Skills- Social Awareness- Research Skills- Media Literacy- Public Performance- Writing Skills- Critical Thinking Skills- Group Dynamics

The Communication Arts Program is an application-only, four year, honors-level program with an interdisciplinary approach designed for students who wish to develop their intellectual, creative, and communication skills in the fields of media and the humanities. Once admitted to the program, students must successfully complete 13 CAP courses, maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA, and complete the CAP portfolio to graduate with the CAP certificate. Students follow a nine-period schedule which extends the school day until 3:20.

Students have research assignm ent s and creat ive present at ions as group projects on:

1st Quarter - The Gilded Age

2nd Quarter - The 1920's

3rd Quarter - WWII

4th Quarter - The 1960's/1980's

Cinem at ic Analysis - Each quarter, students will watch a movie in the auditorium that relates to the historical period focused on in history class. The students are then asked to write an analysis.

Cr it ical Think ing Paper - An original persuasive essay and analysis about a major, current social issue.

ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

COLLEGESCornell, George Mason, Georgetown, New York University, University of Maryland, Pennsylvania State, Savannah College of Art and Design, Stanford, Tufts, U.S. Air Force Academy, University of Southern California, and many more!

CAP: CRITICAL THINKING, SOCIAL AWARENESS,

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECTS9TH GRADE

10TH GRADE- Dystopian Movie Trailers - Debates - Voter Issue Guide/C-SPAN- CAP Congress- CAP Court- Presidential Campaign (POTUS)- CAP Hollywood- Critical Thinking Paper (Opposing Viewpoint)

Grade English Social Studies Humanities Course/Elective Humanities Course/Elective

9 Honors English 9 A & B Honors US History A & B CAP 9 Photography A

CAP 9 Scriptwriting B

CAP 9 Drama A & B

10

Honors English 10 A & B AP NSL A & B CAP Journalism A & B CAP Newswriting A

CAP TV Production B

11

AP Language and

Composition A & B AP World History A & B CAP Research Seminar A & B

12

AP Literature A & B

or

Honors English 12 A & B*

or

American Studies A & B*

CAP Senior Seminar A

COMMUNICATION ARTS PROGRAM COURSE SEQUENCE

* Seniors who don?t take AP Literature can petition to take Honors English 12 or American Studies to fulfill their English requirement but must also take one or more of the following classes (must span two semesters). All petitions must be made in writing to the CAP Coordinator by the first week of December of the student?s junior year. See Ms. Fillman for more details.

- African American Literature A & B (English)- AP Music Theory A & B (Fine Arts)- AP Studio Art (Fine Arts)- AP Art History (Fine Arts)- AP Comparative Government A & B (Social Studies)

- AP European History A & B (Social Studies) - Sociology A & B (Social Studies)- Cultural Anthropology (Social Studies)- A choice of t wo of the following Social Studies

semester courses:- Comparative Religion- Peace Studies- African American History- Latin American History- Philosophy- Global Issues- Middle East Studies