For the 2012-2013 school year, Huntley High School will be adding a number of new classes, including various English, science, math and blended courses.
According to Assistant Principal Sharon Hartman, these classes include Chicago Literature, Film Studies, blended Personal Fitness and Weight Training, blended Foods and Nutrition, Discrete Math with Data Analysis (a follow-up to Pre-Calculus), Intermediate Algebra, and AP Environmental Science.
These new classes also include a new medical program, Project “Lead the Way” Biomedical Sciences, which will only be available traditionally for next year’s freshmen and sophomores and blended for juniors and seniors, according to Hartman. Principles of Biomedical Sciences will be offered to next year’s sophomore and freshman classes.
“It’s part of Project “Lead the Way,” and eventually as they work this through, it’s going to be [part of]…courses that fit into a four year plan,” said Hartman. “So these students are getting involved as ninth and tenth graders and next year we’ll roll out another class.”
Three new Biomedical Science classes will be rolled out over the next three years until a full four year plan is in place at the high school, including Human Body Systems in 2013, Medical Interventions in 2014, and Biomedical Innovation in 2015.
Huntley administrators are currently discussing partnerships with Centegra and Northern Illinois University, according to Medical Skills and Services teacher Renae St. Clair that will provide a designation on students’ transcripts who went through all four years of Huntley’s Biomedical Sciences program. St.Clair hopes to finalize this designation by 2015.
“I think these medical academy courses bring awesome diversity that we’ve never had before,” said St. Clair.
The social studies department will not be releasing any new courses for the next school year, as they are in the midst of a curriculum review.
“Rather than offering anything yet, and probably the next year, there will be some no new course offerings,” said Hartman. “But we are going to try to do Current Issues 11-12 blended if the numbers are there. Same class, different format.”
Enrollment has greatly increased for Advanced CAD this year, which is not a new course, but the high school has not had the numbers to run it in the past years.
“That’s promising because students who want to go into design or architecture, that’s a really good class for them to have,” said Pat Olson-McGee, counselor.
The administration is also discussing adding second and seventh hour blended classes in order to accommodate late arrival and early release seniors.
“[We’ve got] a lot of good things going on for next year,” said Hartman.
