Why are some of the most highly-desired classes at Bear River ones that aren’t offered? This is a question that, according to Bruins, has become increasingly common.
Junior Connor Ronka expressed his hopes for next year’s course additions.
“Maybe a political science class, like an international politics kind of class,” Ronka said.
He also mentioned some ways that Bear River could let students have a bigger hand in deciding the classes that they’re offered.
“Maybe more like posting out a mass email or something, that would be a good way,” Ronka said. “Or having like a Bruin Time or a lunch time where they have the principal and the assistant … and then they have students that want to come over there to suggest ideas of what they want to see.”
Sophomore Madeleine Pratt brought up the fact that Bear River already offers a fair amount of choices, but also mentioned what type of classes she would like to be offered in the future.
“There are a lot of things here that are already offered,” said Pratt. “I’d just like to be more involved in the classes I take. I like classes that involve the students more than sitting there and listening to lectures.”
Pratt also talked about the type of teachers she would like the school to hire sometime in the future.
“I like nice teachers, teachers who are really understanding, and really good at working with the students to make sure they understand what they’re learning or what they’re doing, and help them to get good grades and do well in the class,” said Pratt.
Freshman Allison Whiting made the point that the more classes Bruins have to choose between, the more enjoyable their high school experience will be.
“I feel like a student should have a bigger role, because they want to enjoy their school time, and having a class that they don’t enjoy will probably just ruin that for them,” said Whiting.
Whiting also talked about her desire for a Home Economics class, and the importance of schools offering a life skills program.
“I feel like [a Home Economics class would] be kind of fun,” said Whiting.
One of Bear River’s counselors, Bethany Williams, talked about the process that the school board goes through to get a new course approved.
“There are several layers to getting a class approved,” said Mrs. Williams. “The first consideration is that teachers must be highly qualified in the subject matter. This means they must have a teaching credential in the subject to be able to teach it. … Then, the teacher is responsible for completing a course description, and must present the new course to the District Curriculum Committee. … Once approved, the course can be considered to be offered at the school site. There is no guarantee that the course will be offered the following year.”
Mrs. Williams also went into the classes that she would like to see as some of Bear River’s options.
“I would like to see a practical math class offered that covers real life math applications,” Mrs. Williams said. “This could be an option for students needing a 3rd year math but are not interested in Integrated Math 3. Also, I think it would be great to have courses in psychology, sociology, life skills, and college and career exploration.”
She concluded with the importance of students choosing their classes wisely in the future.
“I just want to stress the importance that students choose wisely when they are completing the course selection forms in the spring,” said Mrs. Williams. “We offer courses based on student need and desire, so when they change their mind on wanting to take the course, it’s extremely difficult to move their schedule, or even have extra seats available.”
