Matawan Regional High School, Aberdeen, is developing new academic pathways for students that will focus on the areas of global humanities and creative arts.
Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, the Global Humanities Academy and the Creative Arts Academy will introduce new curriculum and an interdisciplinary approach to learning.
“The mission of the Global Humanities Academy is to provide students with a comprehensive interdisciplinary curriculum that enables them to develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in any life pursuit,” Zachary Gross, library media specialist, told Board of Education members at a Nov. 9 meeting. “The rigor of the Global Humanities Academy will challenge students as underclassmen and help prepare them for advanced study in AP courses in language arts and social studies.”
According to Gross, throughout the next four years, a number of new courses will be developed to provide students with a comprehensive background in the areas of English and language arts, social studies and humanities.
Courses will include Global Humanities I, AP European History, Global Humanities II, a number of electives and a new Senior Global Humanities Seminar. “Starting freshman year, students will take Global Humanities I, which fulfills the requirements for English and social studies,” Gross said. “It’ll be a dual class so students will have two teachers for a double-period block and for example in class they’ll learn about world history, Elizabethan England and Shakespeare all together in one room.”
Much like freshman year, in Global Humanities II students will focus on American history in a double period block that will tie in popular issues and topics of the time period with popular literature published during the time.
Gross said all students in the academy will also be required take an oral communications course that focuses on topics such as public speaking skills.
According to Gross, the curriculum-writing budget for the new courses will cost approximately $4,000.
For the 2016-2017 school year, Global Humanities I and AP European History will be developed, while for the 2017-2018 school year, Global Humanities II will be developed. The Senior Global Humanities Seminar will be developed for the 2019- 2020 school year.
A new path within the high school’s Visual Arts Academy, which will be known as the Creative Arts Academy, will also provide students with a comprehensive background in the areas of visual and creative interpretation.
According to Aprilante, in freshman year students will be required to take drawing or an introductory course such as Introduction to Creative Arts. Junior year, students will be able to take a new course known as AP Studio Art I.
Other new courses to be offered include: Art History and Appreciation, which will be in conjunction with the Global Humanities Academy, as well as Artist Career Training.
“Artist Career Training is also a new course we would like to offer that would cover the 21st-century life skills requirement for students,” Aprilante said.
“This class would basically be designed to build awareness of the different careers available in the visual arts field and students would have the opportunity to complete tasks associated with the careers.”
With an initial budget of about $900 for the AP Studio Art courses, Aprilante said the goal is to start integrating the courses into the academy for the start of the 2016- 2017 school year.
“The idea also is to merge our Art Majors I and II classes that we currently offered and have those AP classes take their place, she said. “For the 2018-2019 school year we would then offer our Art Appreciation course and Artist Career Training course, which would allow our current ninth-grade students to take those courses as seniors.”
Board of Education members praised school officials for their hard work.
“I think it is wonderful we are focusing on these academies,” board member Kathleen Gentile said. “To see it grow and hit more children in areas they are interested in and help get them ready for where they want to be I think is phenomenal.”