Highschool seems to be all about learning and taking boring classes. But in reality, there are multiple opportunities for students to find a class they enjoy. 

PHS offers students a wide variety of CTE and Fine and Performing Arts classes to choose from. Recently, for the 2021-2022 school year, new classes have been added and old ones have disappeared. This year students have the opportunity to take Exploration of Healthcare Occupations while they no longer have the chance to take Apparel and Textiles.

 “A lot of it has to do with what students want,” CTE teacher Mrs. Kandi Bennett said. “The Apparel and Textiles [class] was of lesser interest, so we should be doing things that benefit as many students as we can.”

Most of the students so far have benefited from exploring different healthcare pathways and researching occupations based on their skills and interests. 

“This class is very helpful,” junior Gretel Opps said. “I wanted to take a class where I could pursue some of my passions, and there haven’t been many classes that have caught my attention till this one.”

The Apparel and Textiles class isn’t permanently gone, but the CTE funding program, Perkins, wants younger people to have skills and training to transition into the workforce. They require classes that lead to jobs with high pay, high skills and high need. Apparel and Textiles didn’t follow all of those guidelines. However, even with the class being removed, former Apparel and Textiles students can still find ways to pursue their passions.

“Personally, I’m glad there are other opportunities,” junior Tyler Sessions said. “But for those who would be interested in [Apparel and Textiles], I think it would be good for them to find another way to enjoy making unique and creative projects.” 

That wasn’t the only change made to Mrs. Bennett’s classes this year. What was once a simple Child Development class has now turned more complex for students who are pursuing a career in early childhood. This new course is called Human Growth and Development.

“Our human growth and development has combined all growth and development, so it’s the life stages,” Bennett said. “It’s all aspects of education and training, but it still has the career aspect of doula and midwife.”