School Board Briefed On New Programs Offered at Alvirne

During the Dec. 20 Hudson School Board meeting, the board heard a presentation regarding new course offerings at Alvirne High School.
“The following have been recommended by our teachers and department head for new course offerings for Alvirne High School Program of Studies,” Alvirne High School Principal, Steve Beals, wrote in a memo. “Student interest and staffing will determine if curriculum will be developed, and the courses offered in the master schedule.”
One of the new courses is “Capstone-An Education Experience” which will be a semester course.
“This themed specific Capstone Class is for those students who have an interest in pursuing a career in the educational field,” Beals wrote in a memo. “In addition to all the requirements of Senior Capstone, students in this course will participate in an internship with other schools in the area to support their learning and full understanding of an educator’s experience.”
Moving forward, Beals said ideally, they would run the course first semester, and then in the second semester they would be able to do an internship at a local school.
The course will be piloted in the second semester this year, Beals said.
Another course is “Law in Action” which Beals said is a request from the Social Studies department.
The course description for the semester-long course is: “Students enrolled in this course will gain practical information and problem-solving skills regarding the law and our legal system. Students will engage in active learning experiences such as mock trials, moot courts, case studies, simulations, and small group exercises. Community resource people such as lawyers, judges, and police officers will be involved as guests in class. Students explore the definition of law, citizen rights and responsibilities under the law, learn methods of dispute resolution, as well as identify and analyze public issues. Exploration of legal careers will be a theme throughout the course.”
Another course added is AP Environmental science.
“This course is the equivalent of a college level environmental science course. The AP curriculum is established by the College Board,” Beals wrote in a memo. “This curriculum includes the following big ideas: (1) energy transfer, (2) interactions between earth systems, (3) interactions between different species and the environment, and (4) sustainability. Students will analyze environmental concepts and processes to propose and justify solutions to environmental problems.”
It was explained in the memo that “serious students who will pursue majors in environmental studies or related majors are advised to enroll in this course.”
Students would be required to take the AP exam in May.
CP Environmental science, a yearlong course, was also added.
“Students will analyze environmental concepts and processes to propose and justify solutions to environmental problems,” Beals wrote. “This curriculum includes the following big ideas: (1) energy transfer, (2) interactions between earth systems, (3) interactions between different species and the environment, and (4) sustainability.”
A number of CTE courses were added, including “Human Services II”, which is a double period year long, honors course for grades 11-12.
“This course will introduce the background information and concepts necessary to understand the theory and practice of Human Services,” Beals wrote. “The information will be drawn from disciplines including history, sociology, and psychology, as well as understanding the valuing of social roles, ethical behaviors, and quality of life. Current influences on Human Services such as managed care may also be discussed. This pathway is geared towards students who are interested in pursuing a career as a Human service professional.”
The prerequisite is students who earn a grade of B- or better in Health and Human Services Honors.
Another CTE course is “Health and Human Services Exploration”, which is a semester-long course.
“In this Introductory course students will explore the Health Care System, complete a career interest inventory as part of developing a career plan, and research a variety of careers in Health and Human Services,” the memo read.
CTE forestry will also be a course added.
“This full-year course is an introduction to the field of Forestry. Designed to encourage students to go out into the natural world and learn about the management of its natural resources through modern technology and field practices,” the memo read. “Topics will include tree identification, resource & wildlife management, and the management & production of forest products such as lumber, firewood, and maple syrup. Introductory safe operation of equipment such as tractors, sawmill, chainsaws is included. A considerable amount of time will be spent outdoors in various weather and steel toed boots are required.”
Another CTE course added is forestry and wildlife.
The course description reads: “Students will be required to demonstrate foundational skills and knowledge and build upon them through completion of more independent learning projects. Year two students will be involved in the development and implementation of the Tree Farms Forest Management Plan and community wide conservation projects, including conducting natural resource inventories, remote sensing and satellite image interpretation, resource mapping with drones, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and other cutting-edge technologies used in the field of forest and wildlife management.”
In order to take the course, the prerequisite is successfully completing Forestry and Natural Resources.

Newsletter Updates

Enter your email address below and subscribe to our newsletter

Stay informed and not overwhelmed, subscribe now!