Life Skills

Written by Sophie Robson

Have you ever wanted to learn skills in school that actually apply to your life? Well, I’ve got the class for you.

From healthy cooking to getting a loan to helping your friends through mental health issues, this class would teach you how to live your life. While there are some classes at WHS that touch on some of these topics, this class would combine all of these skills into one year-long class. 

As well as the topics outlined above, this class could also cover a variety of other issues including budgeting, applying for a job and crisis management (such as changing a tire or what to do when you feel under the weather), which are critical for students to learn before they leave for college or work, having to face the world practically alone. 

There is also potentially room for a question and answer element in this class, where students could submit topics of interest or questions to the teacher which could be covered later in the school year. This would provide students the ability to ask certain questions which they might not be able to get the answers for anywhere else in life, opening up even more opportunities for learning and bettering themselves.

All in all, this class would open the door for discussions of essential subjects that are relevant to students, especially seniors who are moving on to the great unknown, outside of the little bubble of WHS, also called the real world. 

Paleontology

Written by Abigail Thompson

We all had obsessions when we were younger.

For some, it was barbies and for others, it was race cars. For me, it was dinosaurs.

When I was in elementary school, I had a crazy obsession with all things related to dinosaurs. I wanted to live in the Jurassic Era. I had stacks of books written on how dinosaurs came to be and was obsessed with all dinosaur-themed films (“The Land Before Time” was one of my favorite movies). I did all I could to learn everything about these giant reptiles.

At age seven, I wrote a novel detailing the existence of dinosaurs, and I would make my dad take me into the hills to dig for dinosaur bones. Of course, he knew the chance that we would actually find anything was extremely slim, but he would still sit with me for hours in the blazing sun while I cracked open rocks and dug with my shovel, searching for any trace of the Jurassic era. 

My seven–year–old self had to learn everything I could from the internet, so how amazing would it be if WHS offered a class for my fellow dinosaur enthusiasts?

For students preparing to major in or even pursue a career having to do with earth science or geological studies, paleontology is a class that would not only prepare them for that field of study, but also help get credits out of the way early. 

Students interested in going into paleontology would be given an elective option that would benefit future learning experiences, and students who, like me, simply find the entire Jurassic period interesting, would be motivated to learn. 

Because of this, Paleontology should most definitely be an offered elective at WHS.

Music Production

Written by Sophia Haines

Every once in a while I get a burst of energy that inspires me to create. Creative forums allow students to express their emotions in a healthy and safe space. This expression improves student mental health and would give WHS students a way to cope with the turbulent mental health issues that commonly plague teens. For these reasons WHS should introduce a musical production class to encourage students to exercise their creativity.

Some may point out that WHS already offers musically based classes, such as choir and orchestra. While these classes are extremely valuable to our student body, they do not appeal to the majority of students because the instruments used in band are perceived as outdated. On the other hand, a class that teaches students how to work in a production setting would teach students valuable skills that could be used in the modern music industry. It would allow students to experiment and create original pieces of art that they can be proud of. With the creation of platforms for music sharing, like Soundcloud and Spotify, amateurs have amazing opportunities to put music out there and be noticed, unlike more traditional forms of performance like an orchestra. The experience they would receive from musical production class would allow students to build a portfolio while still in high school and give them a competitive edge when entering the music industry.

This would give WHS a leg up in alumni success, increasing school pride and attracting students to WHS for its unique course catalog and progressive support of the arts.

Neuroscience

Written by Soumya Monga

I love the brain. No, no, not brains. I’m not a zombie (no matter what my sister may say). What I mean to say is I love the nervous system. There are a variety of interesting classes offered at WHS, but one class I believe would be widely accepted is neuroscience. Although WHS already has anatomy and physiology classes, neuroscience is a more specific branch that has many different components and benefits to students.

First of all, a neuroscience class would be extremely beneficial to those who decide to choose this as their major in college or hope to pursue the medical field. It would be an amazing opportunity for exposure to topics covered at a college or university level. 

Second, neuroscience is a great way to learn about the functions of the brain and psychology. Personally, the idea of learning different concepts from the actions of the brain to the reasoning behind those actions is very intriguing. It can have a positive effect on students as it can teach which behaviors lead to a highly stimulated brain.

Lastly, this class would be highly interactive as students would learn how the brain interacts with nerve cells and the spinal cord to produce reflexes or deliberate actions. Perhaps with the study of a certain topic such as reflexes, we can learn to control that area of our brain better.

WHS is an amazing school because of the variety of classes it offers, but a neuroscience class is something that I wish was an available option. 

Film

Written by Lauren Pak

My weekends consist of homework, rewatching Victorious episodes on Netflix for the 100th time, finishing my AP art pieces or watching short films on Netflix, specifically from Omeleto. I know… so interesting.

Anyways, Omeleto offers a variety of short films about losing a family member, teen drama, viruses around the world and more relevant and often controversial issues. Now how cool would it be to have a class solely focused on film and filmmaking at WHS?

Rather than conventionally getting your message across through writing, students could artistically express their passions through short films. Learning to set the scene and make it visually pleasing with objects, costumes and actors allows students to get a taste of how movies are made and how to make them most effective.

Furthermore, because of WHS’s close proximity to the heart of the movie and film industry— Hollywood— it makes it all the more relevant and it would allow aspiring directors to get a head start on the process of making films to one day become a professional.

Taking a film class at WHS wouldn’t necessarily mean that you have do all the work; there are many jobs you can fulfill including production, cinematography, directing, screenwriting and production design. So my final plea: please make a film class because I will take it!