Capri Scarcelli, Editor in Chief and Jonathan Heinbaugh, Photography Manager    

     Underclassmen at Penn-Trafford have important decisions to make as far as scheduling goes.

    Guidance counselors Linnea Sherman, Melissa Sutmire and Hunter Owen gave students the layout of all the classes that juniors, sophomores and freshmen could sign up for.

    Instead of turning in their schedules on paper like years past, students used their Chromebooks to plan their courses for next year.

    Additionally, last year students went to the cafeteria grade by grade, sending their schedules electronically. This time, however, scheduling took place in students’ social studies classes, with the guidance counselors nearby in case a student needed help.

    “We were able to monitor and answer questions this way,” Sherman explained.

    Eighth grader Lydia Anderson mentioned that the online descriptions and early deadline for their schedules helped to map out her freshman year from the middle school.

    “I think it is a good idea to give students time to see what the high school has to offer and what [we] might be interested in,” Anderson said.

      Sherman said there are new classes being added to the rotation for all different levels to choose. These include Biology A/B, Honors Geo-Science, Honors Astrophysics, Russian I, Mixed Chorus I, Drama I, Robotics IV Honors, English 12 and Video Lab.          

    Video teacher Steve Vinton is in charge of the Video Lab being offered to students who have taken TV 2.

    “It’s a class being offered for students who want to work to make their projects in TV really strong and special,” Vinton said. “This class is so special because students will get to tell the story that is special to them, whether it is with Film where students can tell stories from their imagination or with TV where students tell the story of everyday student life.”       

    The newest language class being added is Russian I.

    Being that Russian is not yet a well-established class like the other foreign language courses, it will be started with just level one for now. If it is taken by many students , it will move up in level from there.

    Junior Brianna Volovic is signed up to take the class next year.

   “I’ve always had an interest in languages and have pursued language for a long time,” Volovic said. “I think offering new languages is so important because it can broaden people’s horizons. The ability to communicate is so valuable and is something people should focus on.”

   Like the language department, the science department is also adding classes to their roster.

    Science teacher Charles Gates said that Honors Geo-Science will be a “beefed up” version of the current Earth-Science course, and Honors Astrophysics will be making a reappearance after a two-year hiatus.

    “I know the staff members who are offering those [science] courses enjoy teaching those subjects, and I think for them it is pretty exciting to go a little more in depth with the things they enjoy,” Gates said. “The more classes you can have for kids, the better.”

    As far as students go, the Honors Geo-Science and Astrophysics class will be specifically geared toward those wanting to later pursue the subject in college, whether for NASA research or geological study.

   Along with this, changes to the English department are presenting new challenges for seniors. Instead of having one semester elective courses, (e.g. From Frankenstein to Poe, Sports Literature, Greek and Roman Mythology and Children’s Literature) English will offer all year-long courses like the Honors and AP II classes.    

     According to English teacher Tami Thornton, this class will not only help teachers find their students’ strengths and weaknesses year-round, but it also prepares students to acquire all of the skills they need to graduate.

    “It is beneficial for students because the course content will prepare students for college and those who plan to enter the workforce right after graduation,” Thornton said. “The year-long course will include units from all of the semester courses that were offered last year, so students will still experience various literary genres.”

    Thornton added that the new classes will also help students for their futures in college and beyond.

    “The writing component will specifically prepare students for college writing assignments, and will include a college essay as well as the Senior Research paper and presentation, and will help them with writing modes necessary for the real world, including resumes, cover letters, etc.,” she elaborated.    

    English teacher Kathy Sekera taught a few of the semester courses this year; she said this change for next year was done to give seniors more time for their senior projects, which is mandatory to graduate.

    “Students have a year to work on their senior projects instead of working on it in a concentrated amount of time,” Sekera said. “This will also eliminate the crunch for time for teachers trying to get a large amount of content into a small amount of time.”

     Sophomore Noah Staranko said he struggled to fit all of the classes he wanted to take into his schedule because he did not have enough credits.

    “I want to take a lot of classes here at P-T. They have so many interesting options and intriguing things I want to do, but there’s just not enough space,” Staranko said.

        Scheduling changes will be offered until the end of the year for all juniors and underclassmen. Check in with your guidance counselor for more information.