It’s a typical passing period; some students linger and chat while others briskly walk to their next destinations. Many of these students are walking to their English classes, which are either at regular, honors, or AP levels.
However, this year, many sophomores will be heading in a different direction and be earning their high school English credits through a new endeavor.
The 2016-2017 school year marks the first year in which a Media Arts Pathway is offered to tenth graders.
According to the official Carlmont website, the curriculum of the Media Arts Studies class is similar to that of traditional English courses at Carlmont, but goes further in depth in expressive writing, ethics, legal issues, and historical implications. This emphasis can create a body of students who are more prepared to handle high school journalism or yearbook while still accomplishing the goals of a common English class.
“I’m generally into English, so I thought that taking Media Arts would be a great opportunity to explore a new element of the subject,” said sophomore Nastasja Stahl. “I want to learn the general gist of journalism. Who knows, it could be a new career path that I want to focus on later.”
In addition, students on this pathway are encouraged to take a Computer Graphics class in order to absorb further knowledge on graphic design as well as different software programs.
Some students, like sophomore Talia Fine, chose to learn about software programs by mixing the Media Arts Pathway with Computer Science.
“I definitely think taking Computer Science will enhance my computer skills, and my media arts class will help me learn about journalism. Both of those things will definitely help me in the work world and in life in general,” said Fine.
No matter the combination of classes in their schedules, many students in the three new classes of Media Arts are excited to learn and possibly publish their writing next semester.
