At the Junior year in the Academy program, students have an opportunity to select college dual enrollment or high school credit only courses.  Students must have and maintain an overall GPA at or above 3.0 in order to be eligible to take dual enrollment classes.  For those students who do not meet the GPA requirement or for those students who choose not to enroll in a full dual enrollment program, the Academy staff has developed a number of course alternatives.

One alternative to dual enrollment classes is  high school credit courses provided within the Academy by Academy teachers.  These high school classes alternate from year to year so that both Juniors and Seniors may take advantage of the offerings.  The Academy currently provides AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, Chemistry Honors, and Marine Science as alternatives to college classes.  Other alternative courses are Volunteer School and Community Service and Executive Internship.  The Volunteer School and Community Service class takes students on regularly scheduled outings to a variety of local agencies currently working in the environmental field.  Students get "hands-on" experience dealing with these varied environmental issues in the field.  Campus recycling programs are also operated by students in this class.  The Internship program matches the student to an agency or place of business which focuses on the students area of interest in some aspect of environmental studies or science.

Also during the Junior and Senior years, students participate in "Seminar" activities.  The "Seminar" activities include experiences such as guest speakers, visits to local labs and other technology based agencies, first aid training, leadership training, wilderness survival classes, and research projects.  Juniors are assigned a "Senior Project" in December of their Junior year, which is to be completed by the spring of their Senior year.  This project requires that the students develop, carry-out, and report on a research project of their choice.  Guidance is provided by Academy staff throughout the entire "Senior Project" process.

Students are given the opportunity for a wide variety of experiences during the Junior and Senior years.  Opportunities have existed for students to study in locations such as Smoky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the Central American Rain Forest.

The Environmental Initiative at Florida Atlantic University worked in cooperation with JERFSA from 1995 to 2001 to provide dual-enrollment opportunities for students ready to include college classes as a part of their Academy curriculum.  Courses are currently offered by PBCC at the Jupiter Community High School campus as available.  A main objective of the dual-enrollment program at JERFSA is to provide the opportunity for motivated high school students to earn college credits that will place them ahead of other high school students.

Some summers, Academy students are given the opportunity to spend time in the Yellowstone National Park area and study a variety of ecological issues in conjunction with Montana State University.  


Dual Enrollment courses that have been offered at JERFSA over the years: