Students flip through the newly updated 2020-2021 course, having been told to forecast for their next year of high school. Returning upperclassmen might notice that some of the usual classes have been changed in credit worth or title. Introduction to Psychology is now called Clinical Psychology, U.S. History 303 is now just U.S. History and now worth one credit rather than half a credit like previous years. One class that has sparked excitement is the new Creative Writing I class.

     “It is creative writing that focuses on four areas,” said English teacher Krissy Rasmussen, who is in her sixth year of teaching the subject. There will be four main units: personal writing, poetry, short stories and fiction, and the fourth being a genre of their choice. Students will produce a writing piece relating to each unit, with multiple drafts to make sure the final product is their best.

     A class like this has been discussed yearly, and Rasmussen has developed it into the English Department after Site Council gave her approval. First she had to make sure that the class wouldn’t interfere with her other classes, which were the main teaching priority. Students will work with their pen, a paper, and a Chromebook on a typical day, according to Rasmussen, looking like this: analyzing a quote and learning the uses of language as a warm up; write every day; read everyday; read each other’s work.

     “I think that it’s really, really necessary for kids to also see their handwriting on something they have produced and it makes them less susceptible to say ‘Oh it’s not good enough,’ ” Rasmussen said. “The integrity and the ownership of it is so important.”

     This class, said Rasmussen, will give the opportunity to the groups of people in each grade to benefit from an in-depth class to strengthen their writing skills. Whether those people wish to pursue a career in writing, or they’re just taking the elective for fun, Rasmussen wants to allow students to show their brain in a way that is unique to them. That is the goal.