In preparation for the 2021-2022 school year, students are excited about the handful of new courses being offered. Some courses that are being offered are, applied senior English, geometry in construction, music appreciation, creative writing course and introduction to industrial tech. Students are encouraged to enter these new courses and will be given the opportunity to be the first students in each new class.

English teacher Sarah Huslig says that each class that is beginning next year is offered with the student’s best interest in mind.

“I think that the new courses coming out for the 2021-2022 school year will be helpful to students because they are designed to apply subjects more directly to students’ interests and to their future career goals,” Huslig said. “Modern students look for the why in education [the] why does this matter. I think that specialized courses such as the proposed new courses are designed to focus more on the why.”

Freshman Brooklynn Black says that she is excited to see her peers participating in the variety of new classes offered next semester. 

“Some of the classes can be career-specific which could help you in this certain career and give you a better understanding,” Black said. “These courses will help students further their education in that specific topic. For example, music appreciation could help a music major in so many different ways.”

According to a school-wide survey, 54% of NHS students think that music appreciation will not be a helpful class. As for Black, she believes that music appreciation could be very helpful to a music major. However, sophomore Mohamed Farah thinks otherwise. 

“I feel like everyone feels different about music in a way, I might interpret it differently than someone else would so I feel like having a class specifically for that wouldn’t work as well,” Farah said.

Farah believes that the new classes could be helpful for students who are entering a career that is specific to certain skills. 

“I like that some of the new classes will help out people that are trying to go into a certain industry after they graduate,” Farah said. “It gives them a step stool to help reach their goals really.”

According to a school-wide survey, 83% of NHS students said that they believe industrial tech will be a helpful class. This class includes introductions to skills such as welding, woodworking and computer-aided design. Black says that it will be a helpful class for students interested in that career field, but she personally would not be interested in taking the class. 

“I think that this class will be great for students interested in that career and would help for further knowledge in industrial tech,” Black said.

The survey also states that approximately 70% of NHS students and teachers think that the new classes at NHS will be helpful. The other 30% of students said most of the classes are just fillers.

“I think some of these classes are fillers but a lot of the kids at our school have different views and opinions on it,” Farah said. “They might want to pursue different things and those classes may help them out and that’s okay.”