NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education last week approved changes to the program of studies at Naugatuck High School for the 2017-18 school year.
Students will have eight new courses — pre-algebra, AP U.S. government and politics, introduction to animation, art and culture, painting 1, musical theatre, ECE Italian IV, and ECE Latin American studies — to choose from when registering for classes.
Naugatuck High School Principal Jan Saam said she starts talking with teachers and students about courses offered and what additions could be made in October.
“Sometimes we get new teachers on staff that bring in expertise or a passion for a certain subject,” Saam said.
This is the case with the new musical theatre class, which will go over the history of musicals.
“We have a new music teacher and this is something she is passionate about. I truly believe that when teachers get excited about the course, kids get excited about the course,” Saam said.
Saam added the class may generate interest in producing a musical at the high school.
Superintendent of Schools Sharon Locke said the new courses aren’t expected to have a financial impact on the budget.
On Saam’s recommendation the board also removed three classes — meteorology, music theory I and music theory II — from the course offerings.
Saam said the information in meteorology will be absorbed into other classes while music theory was a very specialized class that didn’t attract many students.
As part of the changes, students involved in six extracurricular activities, including marching band, chamber singers, and winter percussion, will receive credit. The high school’s JROTC program will also begin offering marksmanship as an elective.
In addition, the board approved changing the names of five courses, including renaming 3-D art to sculpture, in order to clarify what the course offers.
