This school year has brought along several new courses, many of which, are open to freshmen. Freshmen are now required to pass one semester both ethnic studies and college and career seminar.

Mr. Fitch, Mr. Castellanos, and Ms. Lee all teach ethnic etudies, which is an A-G approved course and a college prep elective. It gives students the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the United States, as well as our own city.

Mr. Fitch states, “My hope is that students will become more accepting of individuals who are different in appearance, beliefs, and values.”

Fitch adds, “This society is becoming more complex than ever before, and the more we focus on what we have in common, the less we’ll focus on our differences.”

College and career seminar is being taught by Mrs. Gomez and Mr. Spathias. The motive of this class is to introduce freshmen to helpful skills that will aid them in becoming successful in college and the workforce after high school.

Mr. Spathias states, “Students take college and career seminar their freshmen year so they know exactly what they need to do to attend college.”

He explains, “I tell my students that if they get good grades, join clubs like ASB, and get high SAT scores, they will have many colleges to choose from. If not, their choice of colleges will be limited.”

Samantha Amaya, 9th grade, says, “College and career seminar is use-
ful to me because it helps me get ready for my journey after high school.” She adds, “It will help students be more successful in life.”

Additionally, AP human geography, taught by Mr. Peters, is now being offered for freshmen. Mrs. Salinas is now teaching business and personal fnance and pre-engineering through ROP.

She says, “In business and personal finance, students are able to problem solve the economic and political side effects of owning a business in a small community”

Mrs. Salinas adds, “In pre-engineering, students exercise leadership, creativity, and communication.”

Overall, the additional courses have brought new experiences.