New Phy Ed, Technology Classes Coming to the High School

Whitefish Bay High School students will have more technical and physical education options beginning next year, after the School Board unanimously approved new offerings Wednesday night.

School board member Michael Mosner applauded the move to help educate students more in technology and manufacturing, saying there is a need for more skills in manufacturing.

“We need a lot of help,” Mosner said. “And the students are as good as anybody we can find.”

Principals of Engineering and Machine Design will highlight the aspects of engineering with an emphasis on mechanical and energy systems. Besides learning about the engineering and materials, students enrolled in the class will also focus on a machine for the Rube Goldberg competition.

In the manufacturing course approved by the board, students will learn about the aspects of production and marking in order to allow students to develop skills and increase teamwork and leadership experiences.

Computer Science Principles is designed to introduce students to programming and to give students the skills necessary to succeed in college. A second course will also introduce students to more complex levels of programming.

The high school will also offer an animation program for students to take in the coming school year. Students who enroll in the new animation program will learn animation techniques and how animation is used in modern media.

The high school will also add a Woodworking 3 course in order to increase skills by tackling advanced projects in a mainly independent manner.

A Sports and Entertainment Marketing program will introduce students to all aspects of the sports industry and licensing.

Physical education at the high school will also offer more options to students in order to give them more options to better meet their needs.

The Individual Challenge program is designed is to meet the needs of students who prefer to take part in individual physical activities as opposed to team sports.

A personal training course will allow student athletes to personalize their training experience by having them train in class and monitoring their progress during other training times. Students will journal their experiences as well in order to have them reflect upon their training programs.

Everyday Yoga is designed to meet the personal interests of students and help them achieve personal goals as well.

The board also approved a course for middle school students to assist those struggling with foreign language instruction.

Exploring World Cultures will allow middle schools students who are unsuccessful or struggle with foreign language instruction in sixth grade to opt out of continuing with more advanced instruction in seventh and eighth grade. Students who opt to take the new program will be allowed enroll in a foreign language class again in high school.

Although the board approved all of the programs, those which could cost extra money will also need further approval to purchase supplies or other items. If not enough students enroll in one of the programs it will not be offered next school year; however, it will remain as a class offering for future students.