New school courses offered for the next school year
By Daniel Lin Apr. 7 2022
Two new classes will be offered at the school next year: Beginning Band and Ethnic Studies Literature Honors. According to Harveen Bal, Assistant Principal of Instruction, Beginning Band was added as an option for students to explore their interests in music, and it will have many benefits for both the school and students who will take the class next year. Additionally, Ethnic Studies Literature Honors will be an option available to sophomores as a more rigorous alternative to regular English.
Beginning Band will be taught by Rian Rodriguez, Visual Performing Arts Department, who is excited to introduce music to students who have never had the experience of learning music or playing an instrument.
The class is expected to increase enrollment in the music program, as there are no prerequisites or auditions required for taking the class.
Moreover, as many students face academic pressure, this class can allow them to balance academics with pursuing their interests.
“Beginning Band will give me the chance to help students learn the joys of music and guide them through the complexity of learning an instrument. I look forward to teaching this class—it is never too late to pick up an instrument,” Rodriguez said.
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Junior Marcin Witanis plans to take Beginning Band next year. He is currently in choir, and next year, he will be taking both choir and Beginning Band to achieve his goals of learning how to play percussion and read sheet music.
Similar to Beginning Band, Ethnic Studies Literature Honors is another course being offered next year and will replace the current Accelerated English class for sophomores.
“This class is being added into the course selection in response to Assembly Bill 101, a California law that requires students to take an ethnic studies course to graduate, starting for students graduating in 2030. An ethnic studies social sciences class is already being offered for freshmen, and starting next year, an ethnic studies English class will also be offered for sophomores,” Bal said.
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The goal of Ethnic Studies Literature Honors will be to educate students on matters that will help them be politically, socially and economically conscious about their personal connections to local and global history.
A manner in how this will be achieved is through the study of ethnic backgrounds of the novels students will read in the class.
“I am planning to take this class next year, and have asked my teachers for more information about its curriculum. Although it is a new class and has not yet been fully established, I have been told that the course will be based on the works of writers who come from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. I look forward to exploring these diverse works next year,” Freshman Nadia Karpenko said.
These new classes will broaden students’ education, allowing them to pursue new interests and learn more about relevant topics. The school hopes to expand students’ horizons by introducing these new classes to them.
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About the Contributors
Daniel Lin
Staff Writer
Daniel Lin is a sophomore at Leland High School and a Staff Writer for The Charger Account. During his free time, he enjoys learning about new things and playing video games.
Kailey Hu
Artist
Kailey Hu is a junior at Leland High school and an artist for The Charger account. Some of her hobbies consist of drawing birds, reading novels, watching Youtube/Twitch, and eating good food.
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