Students studying blood splatters on a wall and measuring
footprints in a school’s track gravel.
It doesn’t sound like a typical day at high school and it’s
not.
During the first two weeks of spring semester, Anzar High School
students are participating in 13 various elective classes as part
of intersession.
Students studying blood splatters on a wall and measuring footprints in a school’s track gravel.
It doesn’t sound like a typical day at high school and it’s not.
During the first two weeks of spring semester, Anzar High School students are participating in 13 various elective classes as part of intersession.
“We’re a small school, so we can’t offer as many electives as we’d like,” said Paul Stampleman, Anzar librarian who is teaching film studies I. “This gives kids a chance to have more electives.”
Class offerings include forensic studies, fitness without competition, drafting and construction, marine biology, rock star 101, Italian for beginners and gourmet cooking.
Almost every class is taking a field trip, Director Charlene McKowen said.
Intersession, in its second year, fulfills many objectives. Educationally, it makes sense to have an intersession since spring semester is so much longer than fall semester, McKowen said, because Anzar ends fall semester before its three-week winter break.
Although the students do participate in standardized testing in the spring, there still is “enough time to spare,” she said.
“The whole thing seems so healthy to me,” McKowen said. “It’s nice for students to see their teachers in a different light. They are multi-faceted individuals, experts even.”
For example, one of the teachers heading up drafting and construction built his own house, she said.
While some students will retake a class, most try new ones each year.
Junior Brittany Conrad is taking intensive graduation exhibition. She said her experience with intersession is going better this year than last.
“It’s a better use of my time – working on my exhibition,” Conrad said. “I’m getting something done toward my graduation. It’s nice to have two weeks to focus on something.”
Last year, Conrad fell behind in some of her classes. Even this year, Conrad said her Advanced Placement physics class is around six chapters behind. Last year, Conrad took a class similar to this year’s rock star 101.
Junior Sarah Al-Ahmed agrees that some intersession classes are not as productive as others. She is taking creative writing from film, art and music.
“(Intersession is) a good chance to get extra credits in. We don’t have that many elective classes offered,” Al-Ahmed said. “Last year, we didn’t have as many useful classes (as we do now). It’s getting better.”
The biggest intersession class is fitness without competition with 67 students and four teachers. The smallest is vocational agriculture and FFA and Italian for beginners with 13 students and one teacher each.
Although the students are in the same class all day long, it serves as a nice transition to ease back into school after winter break, teachers and students agreed.
Various classes will complete various projects: drafting and construction students will build a snack shack for the ball fields; marine biology students will put together a 40-gallon reef tank; and students in creative writing for film, art and music will complete a project focusing on fiction, poetry or drama/scriptwriting.
Another avenue students can pursue is an internship. McKowen coordinated and approved internships for 23 students.
Students are volunteering at District Attorney John Sarsfield’s office, the Salvation Army, the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, a pet hospital, various schools, churches, a veterinarian office, mechanic garages and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department.
“We have a lot of seniors (taking the internship class). It’s good for students – they get to experience an area they are thinking of going into,” McKowen said.
Many classes are utilizing guest speakers from the community. Aromas-San Juan Unified District Board members Jeff Hancock and John Ferreira will be speaking in the forensic studies class.
Because of the field trips and guest speakers, many teachers spent last semester preparing for these two weeks. During intersession, teachers have no prep periods.
“It’s a lot of work and time consuming, but it’s worth it,” said Dan Daniels, who is teaching drafting and construction.
