With today’s opening of class selection for the 2023-2024 school year, students have the opportunity to pick several new classes that will be available next year.

AP music theory

This is a high level music class. According to band director Brianna Gatch, students analyze how music works, learn how to compose it and study its rhythm.

“This takes music to the next level and is all about the analysis of how music works, how it works together, how to compose, but really it is just the analysis of music,” Gatch said. “So starting week one, they go over basic note reading … then from there, they go on to different key signatures and aural skills.”

The class is catered to students who plan on studying music in college or finding a career within the field. The prerequisites for being in the class are that students need to have previously taken a performing arts class before, and they have to know how to read music.

Dance Movement 1

Dance Movement 1 is available to students of all levels. Teacher Michaela Smith is offering students an opportunity to challenge themselves as dancers.

“Students will have a safe space, free from judgment and open to creative expression and open to creative expression,” Smith said. “[Students will] have the opportunity to perform in an end of the year showcase for family and friends.”

US military history / diplomacy

This class will cover the military and diplomacy history of the United States. These topics are mentioned in traditional history classes, but these classes only teach them briefly because the SOL mandates that the class explore many different topics. The U.S. military history and diplomacy class will examine these topics in depth. 

Students will learn about the impacts of soldiers on American history and the country’s use of diplomacy on the world stage. The class will especially cover the period from the French and Indian war to the present, with a focus on World War II. It will also feature minimal homework, field trips to military sites, film critiques, veteran guest speakers and reenactments. The class will be taught by history teacher Michael Bell. 

Honors International Affairs / Cold War

This class, taught by history teacher Emmett Hickam, uses the Cold War as a case study to teach them about America’s role in the world. 

“So what we do is take a look at history, from the birth of communism through Karl Marx in the industrial revolution and look at the history side of it, where it comes from and why,” Hickam said. “And then we go a little bit further and put it into practice in Russia eventually becoming the Soviet Union, and we’ll move into World War II a little bit and how the division happens.”

According to Hickam, it is not meant to be a difficult class, but it is meant to challenge students. 

“I promise I will challenge not what you think, but how you think,” Hickam said. “[I will challenge] why you think the way you think in beliefs to certain things. For example, is what we do as Americans the right way?”

Each quarter, the class will read one book, and then watch a movie that goes along with it. Students will also do projects on each decade of the Cold War about any topic and tie it back to the Cold War to show how it influenced society.

Ceramics

Ceramics is available to all students who have taken Crafts 1. Unlike all other studio art classes, this class focuses entirely on clay. Teacher Haley Ferguson will be helping students gain a deeper knowledge of the material.

“Students who have either taken an Advanced Art Class or Crafts 1 should take Ceramics if they loved their clay projects,” Ferguson said.

Forensic Chemistry

This class is available to all students who have completed chemistry. According to teacher Robert Heath, students will learn to analyze evidence.

“We will learn how to separate mixtures and analyze their contents, collect fingerprints from suspects and items and detect forgeries,” Heath said. “Forensic Chemistry is for students who are fans of shows like CSI, NCIS, Bones and Forensic Files.”

Dual enrollment British/American lit

An upper-level English class, dual enrollment British/American lit is available to students who have scored a 3 or higher on an AP English exam or have passed dual enrollment college composition. According to teacher Caity Gladstone, the first semester will focus on British literature and the second will focus on American literature.

“We explore various time periods of literature in each, read selections from those time periods, and discuss how society at each time impacted the texts,” Gladstone said. “The course consists of class discussions and two to three literature analysis essays per semester.”

Interested students can see Gladstone in 326 with questions. 

Hip hop in literature

This class is available to all students. Teacher Scott Monroe says this class will have students analyze and interpret the music, art, history and culture surrounding Hip-Hop. 

“Students will learn about the history of Hip Hop and examine the conditions that influenced its development and evolution,” Monroe said. “If you like Hip-Hop music and analyzing song lyrics, album art, and music videos, this should be a fun class for you.”