During the 2024-2025 school year, there will be six new classes available for students to take. Semester classes include Fundamentals of Piano, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, and the CHS Young Engineers Program. The new year-long classes are CHS Medical Interventions, which is one period every day, and CHS AP Physics 1, which is two periods every day. These classes were scheduled by students in January-February of the 2023-2024 school year, and students got their official 2024-2025 school year schedules in August 2024.
CHS Medical Interventions is a part of the four-year Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program that introduces students to biomedical science throughout their high school careers. It starts with CHS Biomedical Science, a class that students can take starting freshman year through senior year and is taught by Mrs. Jennifer Showman and Mrs. Julia Woitkowiak. The next class in the PLTW program is CHS Human Body Systems, taught by Dr. Cris Ritenour. This year, CHS Medical Interventions was added, taught by Mrs. Julia Woitkowiak. Each class introduces new aspects of biomedical science to its students, and a new class will be added next year as the fourth and final PLTW class at Norwin High School.
CHS AP Physics 1 is a double-period class taught by Mr. Brandan Salany that is available for juniors and seniors. It is an algebra-based physics class that covers a wide variety of topics throughout the year. The class also requires an assignment to be completed over the summer and consists of laboratory work and problem-solving.
Additionally, CHS Young Engineers Program is a semester-long program available for juniors and seniors interested in engineering careers. It is taught by Mr. Robert Shuber, who teaches many engineering and design courses. A majority of the programs in the class are through Kennametal, a machinery parts manufacturer, and students in the class listen to lectures, take trips, and participate in hands-on activities with Kennametal.
“My favorite part of the Young Engineers Program is the fact that it is a small class so it is very inclusive and everybody gets to participate,” senior Selah Corbett said. “I am most excited for the field trip at the end of the program to one of Kennametal’s facilities, where we will tour one of their manufacturing plants.”
AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics are two semester-long courses available for grades 10-12 to add to their schedules, taught by Mrs. Gertrude Saunders. These courses are college-level and introduce students to the principles of economics and require a mathematical understanding of algebraic equations and quantitative analysis.
Finally, Fundamentals of Piano is a semester-long class available for any student at the high school and is taught by Mrs. Lauren Scheirer. Students can begin learning piano or add to their skills through the course. With a focus on scales, chords, and music reading, Fundamentals of Piano is an educational course based on individual needs.
“I am most looking forward to teaching students the knowledge and skills they need in order to be a successful lifelong musician,” Scheirer said. “We had an enormous amount of student interest, and so I am most excited to be able to fulfill the need for a piano class at Norwin High School.”
