Class Descriptions

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE INTERN - Learn & Practice Office Skills Needed in the Work Force - Build your Personal Portfolio and Resume! Students will work in a campus administration office 1 period a day (A-6th). Job tasks will be assigned, explained and supervised by the office staff.Placement is made according to the student's skills and that office's requirements. Provides practical experience with office responsibilities. Students must be reliable, have initiative and be able to maintain confidentiality. Students must also attend a 2.5-hour class after school, one day a week. The class will focus on office and computer skills, field trips, community speakers and more.

ANIMAL CARE - Course is designed to provide students with basic instruction in animal care, handling and control. Knowledge in first aid, legality, housing, feeding as well as specific terminology and vocabulary will be learned. Specific job titles taught include animal caretaker, animal health technician, animal control officer and veterinary assistant.

ANIMATION - This course introduces the student to the animation industry. The Animation Fundamentals course will allow the student to gain the necessary skills for employment in the industry or additional training through other educational agencies. Through theory and hands-on training, the student will learn art fundamentals, drawing, cartooning, animation basics and an introduction to computer graphics imaging (CGI).

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY - This course is designed to prepare students to enter the automotive field by providing skills training in lubrication, engine tune up, brakes, tires, auto cooling, electrical, fuel and exhaust systems. Learning areas include operation of special electronic testing equipment. Students may use a variety of testing equipment such as engine analyzers, voltmeter, or compression gauges to locate and identify problems. Students will use a variety of tools in their work including power tools such as pneumatic wrenches, machine tools such as brake lathes and grinding machines, jacks and hoists and a variety of electronic service equipment such as infrared engine analyzer and computerized diagnostic devices. Many common hand tools are used to work on small parts and had-to-reach places.

AVIATION OCCUPATIONS - This intro course prepares students for employment or advanced training in flying careers, non-flight careers and business aviation. Based on needs assessment and career interest of students, on the job training will be provided in customer service skills, airport administration, noise abatement,, small craft mechanic, security, catering and flight school.

BANKING & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS - Students will learn customer service, banking concepts, procedures and techniques including stocks & bonds, mutual funds and real estate lending. Upon successful completion of the classroom portion of the course, students will be placed in local banks or financial institutions for unpaid internship training.

CAREER INTERN - This course provides students with on-the-job practical work experience to enhance work-related skills, increase awareness of potential careers, and develop knowledge of the “work culture.”  Students gain valuable experience in their chosen career field; connect the classroom with the on-the-job experience giving the intern a competitive edge.  Students spend required hours each week interning with a pre-arranged facility.  The experience of doing a job and seeing what it is like from the inside is incomparable. 

COMMERCIAL ART- AIRBRUSH - In this class, you will learn the basics of airbrush, create individual works, work on a group mural in the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center, and learn how to start your own small business using your skills.  Class is open entry open exit running throughout the year. - Microsoft Office Professional: Windows 98, MS Word, Excel, Access & PowerPoint. Course emphasis is on skills instruction and work place applications. A pre-test may be given to assess proper placement. Pre-requisite: Type 25 words per minute.

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Level I - Microsoft Office Professional: Windows 98, MS Word, Excel, Access & PowerPoint. Course emphasis is on skills instruction and work place applications. A pre-test may be given to assess proper placement. Pre-requisite: Type 25 words per minute.

COMPUTER CERTIFICATION - The Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) program is a global, validated, standards-based training and certification program for basic computing and Internet literacy.  It provides specific guidelines for the knowledge and skills required for basic use of computer hardware, software (Microsoft Office), networks and the Internet.  This program trains and validates a students computing knowledge and skills as they prepare to meet the demands of a digital society.  Successful students will have the opportunity to test for certification.

COSMETOLOGY - Students prepare for the State of California Cosmetologist's License. Students learn theoretical and practical applications in hair cutting, styling, coloring, tinting and bleaching, permanents, facials, and manicuring. Course requires 1600 hours of training necessary to take the California Board of Cosmetology Examination.. ($300 Kit fee) Must be resident of Culver City, Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. Interested students must see ROP Counselor for enrollment.

DIGITAL DESIGN - Learn the art of preparing art work for printing and get a head start on interviewing and job placement as a Graphic Designer.Class starts with a comprehensive foundation in design methods, conceptual skills and digital techniques to create visually pleasing and effective graphic communications.Then move on to mastery of the Mac platform: publication design using QuarkXPress, digital imaging using Photoshop, and electronic imaging using Adobe Illustrator.As you build mastery of these essential tools, you will learn to requirements of advertising and publication design; and understand the technical requirements of digital prepress. Includes field trips to job sites.

ELECTRONIC NEWS & VIDEO - This class is a collaboration between Santa Monica High School, ROP and City TV. Students will have hands-on experience in all aspects of television production, allowing for examination of cutting edge technologies of digital production; learn effective ways to communicate life at Santa Monica High School through sound, words and images; have opportunities to assist City TV with producing Samohi sporting events; produce several taped half hour productions and one live one-hour production; and hear guest lecturers, including directors, sound recordists, make-up artists, graphics and production designers detail many important aspects of a career in television production as well as providing valuable technical knowledge in their areas of expertise.

Emergency Medical Responder - Course trains students to arrive first on the scene, provide immediate care to ill/injured and assist other EMS providers. Will include legality, ethics, critical incident stress management/crisis intervention for disaster workers, safety and health maintenance, triage and post emergency care responsibilities.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN - Emergency procedures are taught as prescribed for the EMT-1 state certification. Includes basic life support and pre-hospital care under emergency conditions. Training consists of 188 hours of classroom instruction, skill demonstration, ambulance ride along and supervised clinical experience in an emergency room. Students must be at least 17 years and 10 months of age to enroll. Only students successfully completing CPR certification in the first eight (8) hours of class will be permitted to continue EMT training. A minimum of 85% attendance for all class sessions must be maintained for certification eligibility. After successful completion of training, students are eligible to test for EMT - certification through Los Angeles County EMS. (Current EMTs should inquire about the 32-hour recertification class)

ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING - Students will explore career opportunities, sales, advertising, marketing concepts, identifying markets, pricing strategies, economic essentials, human resources, financial issues, laws, channels of distribution, and employability skills within the entertainment industry. Guest speakers may include agents, producers, writers, network/studio executives, special effects editor, prop masters, etc.

FASHION MERCHANDISING - Students will acquire knowledge of the history of fashion, fashion trends, fashion coordination, sales promotions and basic sales techniques. Students will produce a fashion show during the course.

FILM & VIDEO PRODUCTION - Introduction to Digital Video will give students the skills and tools to make personal digital documents. Students will be guided through the proper methods for writing and presenting a project script. They will be taught the correct procedures for capturing digital content and forming them into expressive creations. They will also gain an increased understanding of production techniques as well as computers and computer peripherals such as digital analog converters, digital video cameras and CD recorders.

FLORAL DESIGN & SALES - Students will learn the floral design skills needed to enter the floral industry as an apprentice designer or as an employee in a floral related establishment.Instruction includes basic sales techniques, principles of floral design, use of floral materials and tools, preparation of arrangements and decorative items and business practices.

HOSPITALITY OCCUPATIONS - Train for a variety of exciting careers in the nations fastest growing hospitality industry.Be a part of the industry that is responsible for seeing that the nation's travelers feel at home in any part of the country. Instruction combines a classroom core with the opportunity for students to do hands-on internship training in top-level hotels and restaurants in the Westside community.Students train in a variety of areas including:Front Desk, Personnel, Sales, Accounting, Food & Beverage, Maintenance, Security and Laundry.

LIFEGUARD - Course consists of instruction including the American Red Cross courses Lifeguard training, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, First Aid for Public Safety Personnel (Title 22), Instructor Candidate training and Water Safety Instructor.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS - For students who want to become career leaders in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. Develop a better understanding of our competitive, free enterprise system; understand how businesses focus on the needs and wants of their customers to remain competitive and increase profits; learn the basic principals of a free market enterprise, the role of competition, and the importance of risk and profit; and how and why businesses advertise, what role packaging, brand names and window displays play in product merchandising.

MOUS CERTIFICATION (MICROSOFT OFFICE USER SPECIALIST) - Santa Monica Malibu USD ROP is an iQcenter (Authorized Testing Center) for Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) Certification. This certification is a globally recognized industry standard for demonstrating desktop skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint applications.If you have mastered skills in any of these MS Office 2000 applications, this certification will be an asset to you in your career path. Course emphasis is on skills instruction and assessment to successfully pass the Certification Core Exams in Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2000.Successful students must have training or experience in Microsoft Office applications.

Nurse Assistant Pre-certification (C.N.A.) - Prepares student to provide basic personal care to patients in the long-term care facility. Successful completion allows student to be eligible to apply for certification testing provided by State Dept. of Health Services. Pre-requisites: Must present evidence of current physical exam, result of TB test or chest x-ray before entering clinical field, and proof of criminal screen clearance, via mandatory finger printing.

PHOTOGRAPHY Level I- An introductory black and white photography course. Course will provide students with opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills in the field of photography. Students will also become familiar with photographic equipment, materials, methods, and processes. Integrated within the scope of chemical based photography the students will be introduced to computer technology and digital photography.Students will also study 60 famous photographs and photographers from the key monuments of the history of photography and how these photographers impacted this medium.

PHOTOGRAPHY LEVEL II - Advanced photography course providing students with opportunities to extend and advance their knowledge and skills in the field of photography and digital imaging. Course will familiarize the student with advance photographic equipment, materials, methods and processes. Integrated within the scope of chemical based photography the students will refine their knowledge of computer technology and digital photography. Students will also study 60 famous photographs and photographers from the key monuments of the history of photography and how these photographers impacted this medium.

RETAIL 101 - An ROP course for students at least 16 years of age interested in training and internship to prepare for your first job. Classroom instruction and internship training in retail stores. Students study customer service, retail selling, display, advertising, merchandising, register operations and employment preparation.This class is for the student serious about preparing for employment in a retail department store, discount, specialty or hardware and home improvement store. Dress code requirement.

SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT-PROJECT ECHO - Student management and operations of two campus businesses: Vikes' Inn and Vikes' Café.Students will learn effective communication and negotiation skills, visual merchandising, marketing, merchandise and menu planning, purchasing wholesale, finances of small businesses, business law, industry exploration, and market research.

SPORTS MEDICINE - This course trains students for jobs in sports therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and the fitness industriy. Students must complete a 30-hour internship at Samohi athletic events. A certificate of completion will be issued upon successful completion of two semesters.

TECHNICAL THEATER - Students will have the opportunity to train in the newly refurbished Barnum Hal learning digital sound board, stage crew and theater management. Students will learn the basic physical properties in the technical aspects of theatre such as light, color, electricity, and sound. They will learn to effectively operate a variety of production equipment. Students will design, create, and implement production schedules, stage management plans, promotional ideas, and business for front-of-house procedures for informal and formal productions.

VIRTUAL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE - The Entrepreneurship & Economic Experience: Work on business plan & financial plans which you will actually present to financial institutions for approval before you start your business; actually work within your department to price, design and market your products on-line.Your will design your web page and sell from the Internet through the virtual bank; receive a "virtual" paycheck to spend on-line every week.Compete at real out-of-town trade shows and through on-line sales volume; guest speakers, close meetings and job shadow opportunities get you close to the real top professionals.

WEB PAGE DESIGN - This hands on class will train students to design web pages. Additional instruction will be used to teach the student about the hardware and software needed to maintain Web pages and Web servers. Prerequisite: strong technical interest in computers.

WORK EXPERIENCE - Students must be working at least 12 hours per week in retail, food service, financial, or office/business occupations. All students will meet three (3) hours each week, with students employed in similar jobs and with an instructor who is a professional in their employment field. Speakers and field trips are included. Successful students will earn 10 units of credit and will be eligible for an extended work permit that allows you to increase your hours or to work a longer shift.You may also be eligible for a minimum school day (if schedule and credits allow).