New Academic Year, New Courses to Choose From

A variety of new courses are available for next year — from introductory to AP classes — and they open up exciting opportunities for students to further explore the fine arts, math, science and engineering.

“I am excited about the continued growth and expansion of our course offerings for our students,” says Principal Jon Baffico. “Ultimately, these additional options provide greater opportunity for our students to distinguish themselves in their college and career aspirations.”

One new option is AP Environmental Science. It is the equivalent to a first-year college course and is intended for students interested in the environment but might not be planning to major in science in college.

Mrs. Monika Stevens says the response to the new course has been positive, especially for students looking for an AP science course but don’t have time in their block schedule to meet every day.

“It’s intended for those students who are looking for a greater understanding of our environment, relationships between different species and their environment, and changes in our environment and sustainability,” Mrs. Stevens adds.

Another new science course is Foundational Chemistry and Physics. This full-year laboratory science course is intended for college-bound students who need a more concept-based chemistry and physics approach.

Principles of Engineering is the second course in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program. Students will apply their knowledge to solve engineering design problems with a large focus placed on the use of VEX Robotics and RobotC programming. 

Courses added this year have proved popular with students, especially Forensics, says Ms. Jennifer Ruege.

“I really feel that because this class is uniquely hands-on all of the time, it seems to keep them interested,” Ms. Ruege says. “It is also unique in that it is a science class, with a bit of history and psychology added in. We go over real crimes and analyze how the CSI's either did things well or not so well.”

 

Several new classes are now available in the fine arts, including a Brief Survey of Fine Arts, which is just as it sounds. Students can explore all aspects of what Saint Viator has to offer in band, choir, theater and visual arts. Every three weeks, students will rotate to a new medium.

 

AP Music Theory is an option for students who have completed at least one year in band or choir or are part of the theater program. In this college level course, students will develop their music skills by listening to, reading, writing and performing a wide variety of music.

 

At the same time Music Appreciation and Exploration is a more introductory course. Students will cover a variety of topics such as World Music, Music History, Music Technology, and ukulele skills. 

 

Speaking of introductory courses, Introduction to Calculus is for students preparing to take Calculus in college. This course will begin with a brief review of precalculus concepts necessary for conceptual understanding of calculus topics. 

 

Another new math course is AP Pre-Calculus. In this Advanced Placement course, students will cover polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric and polar functions.

View the 2023-2024 Curriculum Guide to see a complete list of course offerings for next year.