Many classes at Etowah are changing, which leaves many students questioning which classes they should take in years to come. With all the different information being heard in the halls, what exactly is being cut, added, or replaced?  

“It’s really confusing when different teachers are saying different things. I know they don’t know that much yet, but nobody was really clear on when things are getting cut or what is getting cut,” Kylie Jones, freshman, said. 

Right now, Chinese One is the only class that is definitely being cut. This is so that the students currently enrolled in Chinese can finish the course, but no new students can start.  

“I am glad to be able to finish three years of Chinese because two years of a foreign language is required for graduation, but it is always good to have three years when you apply to college,” Brennan Hogan, sophomore, said. 

Chinese teacher, Christine Yang, is certified to teach other subjects. She currently teaches Algebra 1 Support and Basic Reading/Writing and will continue to teach Chinese, but not to new students.  

“I’m hoping maybe Chinese will be offered again down the road,” Yang said. 

Many of the students in Chinese are disappointed that it will end soon.  

“I think learning Chinese is important because it is the language with the highest number of speakers, so speaking Chinese will be more important than speaking other foreign languages in the future,” Hogan said. 

There is a possibility that other classes will be cut if not enough students sign up for the course. However, this will not be known until April. 

“If we have enough students sign up for a course, and we are able to offer a full class of students, we will have the class,” Robert Van Alstyne, assistant principal, said. 

Etowah is also adding many classes that students did not have the opportunity to take this year. For example, there is now the opportunity to take a second year of AP Capstone, and a third year of Computer Science and Healthcare Science. Healthcare will offer the students two classes as options for their third year: Sports Medicine, which will be beneficial for a job related to sports medicine, orthopedics, and physical therapy, and Allied Health & Medicine, which is a general health and medicine class, will be beneficial to future medical office assistants, and pharmacy technicians, and other allied health professions.

“That’s their final step before they can go out and work in the healthcare field,” Megan King, Healthcare Science teacher, said about giving students the opportunity to take a third year. 

Some other classes are changing the content taught in the course and the course name. Next year, the WACC will be called Writer’s Workshop. Advanced Composition will replace British Literature, which Van Alstyne describes as a more modern class. For more information on this, click here.  

“Although I love all things British, I realize not all students are as fond of Brit Lit as I am, but I am really excited for Advanced Comp and the possibilities it offers students.  Writing alongside students and watching them grow as writers is a win-win for everyone,” Marsha Loversky, literature teacher, said. 

New this year, students also had the opportunity to test out of some classes. Only one student is attempting the test this year, and the decision is not certain yet on whether this will be an option again next year. 

Many things are changing next year, and this will impact which classes student can and cannot choose, but many new opportunities also come with this change. The classes being added could benefit students greatly.