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In this file photo, the Whitaker family stroke a horse at Anne Close Springs Greenway in Fort Mill during the annual Ag + Art tour of South Carolina.
Special at the Herald
Fort mill
Fort Mill students will have a choice of new classes next school year. Many who could launch their careers focus on animal science, education, health care and more.
Five of the new courses are at the secondary level. The other is a college class.
A course was previously taught in the district, but it has not been for many years. Equine Science is a college preparatory level class.
“It’s definitely going to be popular, I’m sure,†said Victoria Brioc, director of STEAM and CTE with the Fort Mill School District.
Students will learn about equine care, like other animal science offerings.
“Definitely something for someone who might be interested in possible veterinary care, that would be a great course for them,†Brioc said. “You just have to look at all the possible industries that they could get into, working with horses. “
Health Science 4 is an existing class, with rotating clinical and pharmaceutical technology tracks. A new track will focus on long term residential care as a certified nurse aide.
“By the time they’re done, they actually leave – if they pass certification – as a certified nursing assistant,†Brioc said.
The course will be offered at Catawba Ridge and Ford Nation high schools. Pharmacy technology is offered at Fort Mill High School.
“Students would have access to any of the programs, just like now, if a Fort Mill high school student wants auto mechanics, they transfer to Ford Nation,†said Michael Waiksnis, executive director of secondary education. for the district. “So it would be the same setup. “
Student Teacher Educational Psychology is a dual credit course taught in partnership with Winthrop University. Waiksnis calls this the experience of education.
“It’s kind of the basic course you take in college if you want to become a teacher,†he said. “So that will give them a good head start. “
Discrete Math is a senior math class on the college prep track.
“It would be for fourth-year math students, their top grade math, who aren’t quite ready for probability and statistics,†Waiksnis said.
The state-approved course is taught elsewhere in South Carolina. This is a one semester full credit course.
“It’s a mixture of algebra, geometry, statistics,†Waiksnis said. “It’s a bit like an accounting class where you have to be able to interpret graphs, read graphs, sequences of numbers.”
The final high school class is Ceramics 3, a continuation of two lower level ceramic classes. The arts class is also a college preparation course.
The only addition to college is an elective course. Introduction to Career Clusters would give students an overview of the specialist fields of study they can choose as high school students. High school career clusters are similar to major and minor programs often associated with college learning.
“They’re going to discover a few career opportunities and possibilities for themselves,†Waiksnis said.
As an option, the college course may not fit into all student schedules. It could start as a pilot program this school year. Ideas for new courses came from suggestions from teachers and administrators, Waiksnin said. Potential classes are then researched and refined by district staff. The school board voted Tuesday night to formalize them.
The new classes will be in place for the school year which begins in 2022.
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