New classes to be offered at Brentwood High School aim to engage students and prepare them for an evolving real world, says Principal Jason Olexa.
The offerings are AI Foundations, Intro to Computer Science, Music Theory, Digital Art II and a revamped Personal Finance course.
“All of these classes help in some way from employability to functioning as an earner in the real world,” Olexa said.
The AI Foundations course will teach students about ethical use of AI, how computing signals work and how data powers AI.
“We’ve really tried to revamp our computer science programming to meet the needs of current industry and trends,” Olexa said. “(AI) is being included in everything that’s happening in businesses and technology. We want to try to get ahead of students; how to use it as a tool.”
Brentwood partnered with YouCubed, a Stanford University project, to develop the Intro to Computer Science course, Olexa said. In the class, students will learn to analyze data and understand data sets, algorithms and patterns.
“When Spotify shuffles songs, what data is used to produce songs in the shuffle?” Olexa said. “They try to tailor it to your interests. What data and statistics do they use to play songs you like? It’s a mix of calculating data and how that data is used in the real world.”
Digital Art II builds off the popularity of Digital Arts I, established at Brentwood last year. The class will explore environmental concept art through technology.
“It relates back to the work world,” Olexa said. “Students will include the work in that class to marketing or public relations jobs, and those skills.”
Music Theory is a non-performance music class and stems from a Music Technology class added last year, Olexa said. The theory course focuses on notation, rhythm, scales, intervals and chords.
The state department of education will mandate Personal Finance courses as a graduation requirement across all schools beginning this fall.
Brentwood has offered personal finance for more than 20 years, Olexa said. Olexa said Brentwood educators adjusted the course to align with state standards and have more real-world applications, like looking into credit cards, mortgages, loans and taxes.
“Whether it’s CCAC, a two-year or a four-year college, most of these kids will have to take out a loan. What does that mean, and how does that impact you financially?” he said.