Integrated Health Science is a semester-long high school course that explores how the human body and mind work together to support health, behavior, and overall well-being.Students study human physiology through the lens of real-life health, including how the nervous system, brain, hormones, immune system, and genetics influence physical, mental, and emotional health. The course also examines nutrition, stress, disease, safety, and human development, helping students understand how everyday choices affect long-term wellness.

A major focus of the class is learning how the body responds to stress and environment, including topics such as brain chemistry, mental health, sleep, inflammation, and immune function. Students also explore how diet, exercise, and environmental factors influence gene expression and overall health. The course includes hands-on learning, discussions, reading assignments, and journaling. Students also complete a personal health project in which they set and track realistic wellness goals throughout the semester.

TWO COURSE PATHWAYS

This course offers two different pathways depending on student goals:

Health Credit Track

This track is designed to meet California high school health education requirements. Students focus on applying scientific concepts to personal decision-making, wellness skills, safety, and health literacy.

Science Credit Track

This track is designed as a more rigorous science pathway that may count toward a third year of high school science credit. Students engage in deeper scientific analysis, independent research, and original inquiry projects using biological and physiological data.

Students in both tracks learn the same core content, but expectations for depth of analysis, independent work, and scientific investigation differ.

Suggested Text: Glencoe Health (we will read portions, not all of it)

OR an approved Health Text (please discuss this with the instructor first).

Supplemental excerpts from additional texts will be provided

Tuition: $150 per semester