In Thornhill Secondary School’s Business Department, we take a comprehensive approach to business education, including hands-on activities, collaborative group work, friendly competitions and inquiry-based learning. Beginning in grade 9, students have the opportunity to take the Business Technology (BTT1O) course, which focuses on developing digital literacy. Students work extensively with Microsoft Office, website design, and develop critical thinking and research skills needed for the 21st century. In other words, this course helps students succeed at all their other ones. In grade 10, we offer the Introduction to Business class, which provides an introductory look at different areas of business, including accounting, marketing, economics, entrepreneurship and personal financial literacy. The purpose is find specific areas of interest that students can explore in Gr. 11 and 12 senior courses! The highlight of this course is the Tiger’s Den entrepreneurship competition, which takes inspiration from the popular TV show “Dragon’s Den”. Students have the opportunity to develop their own entrepre-
neurial venture.
In grade 11, we offer a variety of business course including:
- University/College Accounting
- University/College Marketing
- University/College Economics
- University/College Law
At this point, students will often be engaged in inquiry-based learning, where they will explore issues or topics of personal interest within each field.
In grade 12, we offer the following courses:
- University/College International Business
- University/College Business Leadership
- University/College Accounting
- University Economics
- University Law
In conjunction with our course offerings, Thornhill has a large DECA program being operated, often with 100+ students participating each year. DECA is an interactive case-study competition that is held at regional, provincial and international levels. Students are given a real-world business situation and must create a presentation demonstrating how they would approach the issue(s) outlined in the case studies. Participation in this program allows for greater learning in the context of the business world and provides students with the ability to find extra-curricular opportunities to develop an interest in the business world.