The Academies of Louisville provide meaningful contexts for learning chosen by students according to their potential career interests and passions. Freshmen learn about the different academies throughout their first year at Atherton in preparation for their selection of courses as upperclassmen. Students choose a strategic sequence of electives that will provide pathways to exploring high-interest careers, including Media Arts, Health Science, and Engineering. 

The academies experience will be multifold for the Atherton student. In the classroom, teachers will situate learning within relevant learning contexts according to the selected academies pathway in English, math, science and social studies. Students will also take a sequence of four elective courses that direct them through a pathway leading to a credential or certification in that area of study. The academies experience will include guest speakers who specialize in these career fields as well as field experience where students actually see what these careers entail. As JCPS and Atherton develop ongoing business partnerships, students will have more choices to engage in internships and job opportunities that provide them with career-related experience in that field to make them knowledgeable and competitive. 

The Media Arts Program aligns course content with current industry practice in various forms of media arts and the new National Coalition for Core Arts Standards for the Media Arts. These standards describe the necessary occupational, academic, and employability skills needed to enter the workforce or post-secondary education in specific career areas. The strength of these business partnerships insures that curriculum meets industry specifications. Cooperative experience, internships, shadowing and mentoring opportunities will provide depth and breadth of learning in the instructional program and allow students to directly apply concepts learned in the classroom.

The Health Science Program provides the secondary student with orientation, exploration, and preparation into the health care industry. Currently, Kentucky joins a nationwide shortage of health care workers. At a time when many industries are downsizing, the health care industry is one of the largest industries in the country with more than 14 million jobs.

The Engineering Program includes the practical application of science and engineering and exposes students to a wide range of real world problems. The U.S. has approximately 1.6 million engineering jobs that pay $42 per hour in median wages. Civil engineers account for the most jobs of any engineering field (274,000 in 2014), followed closely by mechanical engineers (264,000) and industrial engineers (229,000). Those three engineering jobs, plus electrical engineers and electronics engineers, make up two-thirds of the American engineering workforce.

The Media Arts Academy allows students to explore a variety of interests in the fields of filmmaking, photography, broadcast journalism and more. Courses are offered in two pathways. Students are able to complete a four-year sequence in either Photography/Graphic Design or Cinematography/Video Production. Dual credit is offered as part of this academy along with a variety of real-world experiences, such as job shadows, internships, field trips, guest speakers and more.  The three teachers in the pathway all have industry experience in various media arts professions and look for multiple and varied ways for students to experience real world tasks and projects in this academy.

Getting Started: 

Students interested in this Academy should take Intro to Media Arts during freshmen or sophomore year. This year-long elective introduces them to all areas involving media arts (photography, filmmaking & video production, & graphic design). 

After taking the introductory course, students can choose whether to take courses in either the cinematography/video production pathway or the photography/graphic design pathway.  Some students (who are very interested in media arts as a whole) will complete both pathways during their four years at Atherton.  

Students who take classes solely in the Cinematography/Video Production pathway will get experiences working on our school newscast (Atherton on Air).  They will also make short films, commercials, music videos and a variety of other filmmaking related projects.  

Freshman Academy