There will be four new courses added to the curriculum for the 2015-2016 school year: Lifetime Activities (PE), ACP Honors Chinese 3, Robotics, and Digital Electronics.

In order to make space for these four new courses, however, three current courses had to be cut from the curriculum. They are Earth Science, Environmental Science and ACC Modern European History.

The new physical education course, Lifetime Activities, offers a high level of in-depth instruction in athletic activities that span beyond team sports.

Some examples of these activities include golf, weight training, conditioning, jogging, walking, aerobics, yoga, disc golf, disc freestyle, skating, cycling, martial arts, cross-fit, badminton, horseshoes and two- and four-man volleyball. The curriculum will emphasize individual or dual activities. The only team sports will be those that have carryover values as lifetime activities.

“Lifetime Activities will be a class where students participate in activities that they can participate in throughout their lifetime, as opposed to team sports which we play as freshmen and sophomores,” Coach Pat Mahoney said.

In the foreign language department, ACP Honors Chinese 3 will progressively transition into more intricate sentence structures while continuing to expand and build on vocabulary and knowledge of grammar.

According to the 2015-2016 Curriculum Guide, students will continue to refine their speaking and comprehension skills using dialogue drawn from common daily activities. Students will also develop further appreciation and understanding of Chinese culture.

In Robotics, students will work in groups to master necessary robotics skills, including pneumatics, electronics, drive train mechanics, motors and gears, wiring, safety and programing.

According to the 2015-2016 Curriculum Guide, Robotics will meet after school and will introduce students to aspects of competitive robotics.

Digital Electronics will introduce students to the workings of electronic devices. Gaming systems, DVRs and smart phones are just a few everyday items that contain digital circuits. This course provides a foundation for students who are interested in electronics.

In this course, students will learn about topics such as combinational and sequential logic, logic gates, integrated circuits and programmable logic devices by designing and building digital electronic devices.

“I am excited to bring the world of digital electronics to our students. It is going to be a great course,” Mr. Gene Bender said.

Students interested in one of these new courses should talk to a faculty member for specific prerequisites as well as additional information about the courses.