The 2023-2024 school year is coming to an end, and summer break is quickly approaching. The 2024-2025 school year is coming, and Mt. Vernon High School is not short-handed on all the classes they hope to offer to both new and returning students.
Mt Vernon currently offers many electives in addition to the main four subjects: Science, English, Math and History. Mount Vernon is offering even more for the 2024-2025 school year.
The science department will be offering Zoology to all current freshmen, sophomore, and juniors who have completed a science class. The class will focus on the scientific study of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates, and students will be required to perform dissections. If a student has a fear of any specific animal or insect, such as spiders or snakes, then they may need to think about a different class because this course will focus on all types of animals.
AP World History will be replacing AP European History, because Mt. Vernon faculty have decided that a world history class will better prepare students for history-based college classes. This course will be offered to all grades, excluding incoming freshmen.
Another new AP class, Advanced Art Survey of Art and Culture 1 and then Advanced Art Survey of Art and Culture 2, which Mt Vernon previously had in the past. The class is a great option for anyone interested in the Fine Arts. This class will only be available to students in 11th and 12th grade. The class is going to focus on European Art from as far back as the 14th century to modern times. This class is geared towards more History enthusiasts than artists due to its focus on the history and historical importance of art rather than the act of creating it.
Another new course possibly being added is CoEd Recreational Games 1 and 2. The first course will take place mostly outdoors and will focus on sports such as frisbee golf and pickleball. The second course, which is an indoor class, will focus on sports like volleyball and basketball. The classes do not count as a PE credit and both PE 1 and 2 are recommended to be completed before this course.
The last two classes are Debate and Drama, and they are going to be added to the English department. Both classes will be offered to grades 10, 11 and 12. Debate class will emphasize the basic principles of debate and the makeup of good strategies as well as the act of persuasive speaking and organized arguing. It is recommended that students take Speech before they decide to take Debate.
Drama class will specialize in theater arts and the reading and comprehension of plays. Students in that class will be allowed to create scripts, develop acting skills, incorporate theatre history and explore career options within theater. Students will attend and learn to critique professional performances. Mt. Vernon previously had a Drama class, but it was removed due to the need for more English teachers to keep class sizes down. Drama class is separate from the students that are in the school theater department.
Through a yearlong program in partnership with colleges, students will also be able to take either Construction Trades or Emergency Medical Service. Both of these classes will be offered at New Palestine High School. There will also be a fourth-level class added to the teaching pathway, DC Educational Professions CapStone.
Another change at Mt Vernon will be the Chinese III class becoming a Dual Credit class.
Mrs. Grimm stressed the importance of student engagement in picking the new classes, saying, “While all these classes are on the request sheet it is not guaranteed that these classes will be offered next year; it depends on the amount of students who requested them.”
It is important to communicate with counselors so that the classes that students want to take are offered next year.
“If students want to take a [new] class it is important that they make counselors aware of that so that they will work hard to make them available next school year,” said Mrs. Grimm. “Completing the course request sheet is super important!”
