Playing computer games while your teacher is teaching is probably not a smart move. But as long as you’re enrolled in next year’s new elective—Inventing Computer Games—feel free to play away.

Inventing Computer Games is only one of several new classes that appeared on students’ elective selection forms. Others are Screenplay Writing, Sketch Comedy, Music Appreciation and World Literature.

Inventing Computer Games immediately caught the attention of junior Kevin Wang.

A lover of technology, Wang was pleasantly surprised.

“Finally, a computer language class!” he said.

And his amazement only grew when he found out that the class is taught by history teacher

Bruce Baird, who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

“I thought that Tom (Wroten, director of technology) was teaching it,” Wang said.

Baird has had experience working with computer programming ever since high school, though not recently.

He said that while some students are capable of working with programming, they are not familiar with writing programs from scratch.

“You need to learn the basics somewhere,” Baird said.

He believes students will have the most fun learning programming through computer games.

The class will use Python, a popular computer language suitable for beginners. Students will move at their own pace, creating games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman.

Drama teacher Brian Frishman is also mixing up his electives.

Frishman is offering Screenplay Writing and Sketch Comedy next year instead of Playwrting and Breath, Voice and Movement.

In Screenplay Writing, students will learn about the three-act-structure of most contemporary screenplays. In Sketch Comedy, students will do sketches similar to “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” The class was created in response to the students’ interest in improvisation.

In fact, the on-the-spot improvisation is what draws sophomore Savannah Symister. She was introduced to improvisation last year and was immediately hooked by its randomness and excitement.

At the course’s end students will perform a mini production that includes a selection of the sketches.

On another note, teacher Ron Bell will offer three new electives.

Music Appreciation explores European classical music. Bell said that classical music carries complexity and emotional depth that most modern music lacks. Even when Bell was young, he chose classical over rock ‘n’ rock.

Though Bell is no musician, he will invite band and orchestra teachers Bob Ratcliff and Felecia
Keys to teach the technical aspects of classical music, while Bell will teach the cultural aspect from the listener’s point of view.

Bell will also offer two world literature electives—American Ethnic Voices and the Asian Connection.

The former will focus on the culture and literature of African-American and other U.S. minorities. The goal of the class is to understand that “American culture was shaped and formed by groups other than European Americans,” Bell said.

Similarly, in The Asian Connection Bell will introduce Asian cultural philosophy and literature to explain how both shaped Western culture.