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The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

Common Sense

The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

Common Sense

The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

Common Sense

Signature programs allow students to follow their passion

Signature+programs+allow+students+to+follow+their+passion

Do you know what you want to do after high school? How does the course path you take now impact your opportunities in the future? The signature programs here allow students who are sure about their futures to follow their passion and help ensure students find a passion by offering paths and courses.
One program is Humanities & Arts. Students in this program must chose to pursue a humanities or arts pathway. The humanities section of this program is built around a focus on understanding culture through literature and history courses. Each humanities English and history course has a program-specific class with all humanities students and certain teachers. “In the subjects I teach, the students are engaged and immersed,” humanities teacher Nia Cresham said.
This passion is what makes humanities so special. The arts side is based more on human-imagination and creativity, with theatre, music, dance and visual arts being the foundation. Students do not need to be a passionate artist or love English and history to join this program. If students don’t, this program may make him or her fall in love with one or the other. “The field trips we take make arts and history seem cool,” junior Reyna Bergman said about the frequent trips Humanities and Arts students take to places like Ellis Island and the Holocaust Museum.
Although incoming freshmen have priority, the program is open to sophomores or juniors who are interested in arts or humanities.
Another signature program is the Academy of Information Technology (AOIT). Centered on technology, the program provides any student a chance to do something new. Students can opt to enroll in a programming path, a web development path or a networking path. Students do not need to be a engineer to join this program. Open to incoming freshmen and current underclassmen, this program is for anybody who wants to try new technology. The classes available for each path provide members a unique opportunity to discover a passion for technology.
The final program is Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS). Students who enroll in STARS make a commitment to studying science in greater depth. The program expects each student to fulfill this commitment by enrolling in higher level and more science and math classes. Because this program suggests student take two periods of science after freshmen year, it forces students to prioritize science. “Science is what I like, so I don’t mind taking more classes,” junior member Gabe Pollack said.
If students are passionate about science, STARS is the right program, but program requirements make it hard to be a member of another program in addition to STARS. This program differs from the others in that one can only apply before sophomore year. With rigorous course requirements and a minimum of five out-of-school activities a year, this program is primarily for people who have a passion for science, leaving time for little else.
While some may be time-consuming, the signature programs are not only for people passionate about a certain subject. If a student hasn’t found something you love to do, each program is a way to get unique opportunities like field trips to special places. To find out how to apply to a program, visit the school website’s programs page or contact the program coordinator.

 

Josh Messitte

Arts Editor

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