Family and Consumer Sciences

Department Chair: Patrick Micinilio pmcinilio@westportps.org 203-341-1492

The Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum is designed to meet the overall goal of education: to prepare students to function in an ever-changing world. As students assume the multiple roles of citizen, family member, worker, consumer and parent, they will need both knowledge and skills with which to make wise decisions. To accomplish this, the Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum provides two special components: the family/consumer focus and the worker/career focus. Both components provide learning experiences which allow students to develop insights into the interactions within families and the integration of work, home, and family. These opportunities are experienced in diverse settings through multi-disciplinary activities that respond to changing needs and emphasize positive relationships among individuals, families and the community. The program at Staples is elective and open to students in grades 9-12. The focus is the worker/career component of the curriculum which teaches students transferable skills, problem solving, planning strategies and technological skills in activity and production-oriented settings. Students enrolled in Family and Consumer Science courses will work on common competencies which include applying critical thinking skills to decision-making, identifying, organizing, planning, and allocating resources, working with different kinds of technologies, developing employment competencies, and understanding the cultural universals as they relate to human development and differing lifestyles.

The Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum at the high school includes:

• Child Development I and II
• Child Study (The Play School)
• Culinary Arts I, II, and Advanced Culinary Arts