Proposed high school courses would expand students’ options

Next year, students at Clayton A. Bouton High School may be learning all about the science of food, or the ins and outs of marketing.

Four new courses are being proposed at the high school, which include Business Law II, Food Science, Marketing and Senior Studies.

The courses would expand the scope of student learning and give them more options, say Chairman of the English Department Brian Stumbaugh and Chairman of the Family and Consumer Science Department Frank Faber.

Senior Studies

Senior Studies would combine the required senior English and social studies courses in a unique format.

Currently, seniors take a full year of English and half year of both Economics and Participation in Government. Senior Studies would combine these three courses into one full-year course, which would be taught by three teachers on a rotating schedule, and be scheduled in back-to-back periods.

Students would study public policy, personal finance and popular culture/media through project-based learning. For example, they might be asked to create a business plan or write a paper about the advice they would give to a town mayor as his or her advisor.

During the final six weeks of school, students would participate in an internship, which would be part of a final course project. Students would present the final project to teachers and administrators.

"This new course would have both rigor and relevance," Stumbaugh said. He said he hopes the course would continue to encourage student engagement, and that the internship would provide real-world experience and help them prepare for jobs.

Business Law II

Business Law II would be a continuation of Business Law I, which will be a prerequisite, and will be offered to students in grades 10-12. Students would examine how the law affects individuals and study consumer protection, buying a car, marriage, divorce, employment law, leasing and buying a home, wills, health care, hotelkeepers and carriers, insurance and personal property.

Business Law I has grown in popularity and the new course is proposed to allow students to continue learning about the topic.

Marketing

Marketing is proposed to be a half-year course for students in grades 10-12, which will introduce students to the role of marketing in our economic system.

Students would learn basic marketing functions, such as financing, risk management, selling, promotion, pricing, purchasing, information management, product/service/idea planning and distribution. The skills would be developed through interactive simulations, projects and leadership activities.

Food Science

Food Science would be a lab and activity-based Family and Consumer Science elective for students in grades 11 or 12 who have already taken two years of science. It would be one way for students to meet the graduation requirement of three science courses.

In this class, students would learn the application of chemistry and biology in food preparation, food processing and nutrition. Students would also learn about food additives, food preservation, metabolism and keeping food safe.

The courses will be proposed as part of the 2007-08 budget, which will be approved by the Board of Education this spring and decided on by voters on May 15.