Students will be able to register for next year’s classes via PowerSchool March 1-10, and the options include three new courses in history and computer science.

The 2021-22 Program of Studies was released Feb. 15 on Schoology and the Lab website and has new courses and revisions.

Students with the prerequisite of completing two other history classes have the opportunity to register for “20th Century Latin American History in Film and Nonfiction” offered in the fall semester and “Wars of Liberation in Africa and the Struggle for Economic, Political, and Cultural Independence, 1945-Present” in the spring. 

Assistant Principal Asra Ahmed said the aim of these new history courses is to promote diversity and broaden the range and focus of different areas and cultures of the world.

“The history courses are responsive to a lot of our discussions as a community about wanting to further diversify our offerings, to offer courses that come from different perspective points globally,” she said. 

The computer science department will offer “3D Modeling for Digital Fabrication” in the makerspace. The course will be offered both semesters, but students may only take it once. Because the makerspace has limited space, the class capacity is 12 students.

“There’s this amazing space we have at school that’s highly underutilized, and unless you’re one of those students that’s really into that stuff, you might not be brave enough to just go there and check it out, and this class will create that opportunity,” Ms. Ahmed said. “It’s really supposed to be user friendly and accessible to anyone.”

Before beginning course registration, Ms. Ahmed emphasized the importance of students communicating with counselors and advisers. Only students’ final submission for courses on PowerSchool will be used. 

“The counselors also have a very detailed, over-the-balcony view of what’s happening across the school, and they understand the whole program, and they understand the vertical program, so that can help you make decisions about what’s best for you individually as a student,” she said.

Counselors are planning to visit advisories either toward the end of February or during course registration. 

Overall, Ms. Ahmed stressed that each student is different and will therefore have a unique combination of courses suited to them, and that there is no need to compare.

“You need to take what feels right… you feel this pull to do the same thing because it proves something, but in the end, students are only successful when they take what fits them best,” she said.