School Board approves 5 new classes for next year

"We have quite a few of those PE classes like softball and basketball," said Bruce, whose daughter attends Gulf Coast High. "It's for those students not interested in sports, those who don't want to compete, but would like to take it as a class."

During last week's board meeting, members approved five new courses for students next year.

In addition to Intermediate Wrestling, the following new classes will be offered, depending on student demand.

-- Astronomy Solar/Galactic Honors: This science course's content could include historical astronomy, astronomical instruments, the celestial sphere, the solar system, the Earth as a system in space, the Earth/moon system, the sun as a star, and the stars. Juniors and seniors who have taken Integrated Science and Biology can take this course.

-- Stagecraft I: This drama class will cover safety and regulation issues, theater terminology, trends in technical designs, lighting and sound, costumes, artistic discipline, and careers. It's open to all high school students who have completed Drama I or Introduction to Drama.

-- Sculpture III: This art class will cover the materials, techniques and terminology used for sculpture. Juniors and seniors who have completed Sculpture II can take this course.

-- Modes of Learning: This art class is designed to integrate art and music with other major subjects such as language arts, social studies or math. The focus could be on the uses of music in physical and emotional therapy, the correlation with poetry and literature, and how basic musical and art skills relate to science and math. It's open to all high school students and there is no prerequisite class.

"These are courses needed for the next year for a variety of reasons," said Kevin Huelsman, executive director for secondary programs.

He said the new astronomy class was the result of a teacher wanting to offer that next level of study at Barron Collier High.

All the classes will depend on demand.

"All these courses will be subject to a minimum number of kids taking that course," he said. "We generally like to see about 25 kids."

While praising the new courses, board member Linda Abbott said she had concerns about other high school classes: Advance Placement.

"In my opinion, we should not offer an AP course unless the teacher is trained," she said.

Students can take Advance Placement courses and receive college credit if they score high enough on a subject test.

"Maybe you cannot get everyone trained," Abbott said, "but why jeopardize a kid not getting a good score on the test."