It’s a long journey from a course’s origination to its appearance in students’ schedules. The process begins in the fall, a time that Academic Dean Patricia Lein describes as being full of “thinking, looking, and listening” on the part of the faculty.

Student suggestions on possible classes are taken into consideration and help teachers generate ideas that cater to the interests of the student body, resulting in a course that is the combination of the students’ and teachers’ wishes. As Ms. Lein explains, “We look to see what students’ interests are and what the faculty propose and marry the two.”

The uniting factor between the new courses, and the key to why they were made, is that they are designed to expand upon student’s learning experience. “We are looking to allow students to gain knowledge that will help them beyond their Shipley years,” Ms. Lein states.

To ensure that any new courses offered are of good quality, there is a long administrative process. It starts by teachers presenting course proposals which are then reviewed by a chair group. “I think it’s important to note that we’re looking across all of the disciplines,” Lein says, meaning that no specific discipline is given priority over the others and that the chair makes sure there is a balance of offerings. The chair group reviews each proposed course in the context of all of the existing ones before it makes its decision.

While offering new courses each year is common, there are certain aspects of it that are entirely new. For example, Conspiracies and History is being offered this year for the first time, but it alternates years with Culture of Madness, which will be offered during the 2018-2019 school year. This A/B cycle allows Shipley to offer a greater number of courses, leading to greater diversity in the courses it is able to offer as well.

The upper level language classes have also been changed. French and Spanish IV and V, either standard or honors, are now interdisciplinary courses. This is a natural development, as Ms. Lein notes, “Language doesn’t happen in a void, it happens in a cultural context.” By offering these classes as interdisciplinary, students can learn more about the history, art, and traditions of a foreign culture rather than just the grammar and structure of a language in which they already have a strong background in. Furthermore, students are more inclined to take the higher level language courses now that they are offered as ID courses, which benefits them in the long run.

The choice in classes is a privilege upperclassmen have as their schedules become more flexible. At the cor By e of every class is the belief that students should be able to pursue their interests in their junior and senior years. The ever-expanding collection of classes ensures that there is something for everyone.