With Becton’s new modified rotate drop schedule, several science electives have been added as options for students who are interested in or are planning on pursuing a career in a scientific related field. New electives include the Physics of Engineering, Forensics, and Anatomy & Physiology. These courses are being taught by Mr. Di Domenico, Mrs. Mackanin, and Mr. D’Alia.

When students first heard about the new elective courses that would become available to them last year, many were optimistic that the classes would expose them to more career oriented paths, while other students were just happy that they would be able to enroll in a class with their favorite teacher again.

Mr. Di Domenico, the teacher of the physics of engineering course, stated, “The course focuses on different fields of engineering and how an engineer designs and creates products.” He is planning on having the class be as hands-on as possible with many projects in order to give students the experience of what an engineer would do. Currently the class is working on a career project that covers different opportunities for an engineer and what kinds of projects one might work on in that field of work.

Moreover, according to Mr. D’Alia, “The anatomy and physiology class is a college preparatory course with an emphasis on hands-on learning, labs, critical thinking, and connections between real life experiences and the content.” The main focus of the class is to educate students on functions of the human body and on how it responds to certain conditions. Many of his students are excited to perform labs that include dissections and simulations.

Mrs. Mackanin, the new forensics instructor, is extremely excited to be teaching the new course and is happy that many of her students are so far, extremely engaged and competitive while in class. Her goal is to teach adolescents skills in observation and analysis of scientific evidence. She is also making the class extremely hands-on with a daily ‘Do Now’ and exercises that teach observational skills. Mrs. Mackanin has prepared extensively for this course throughout the entire summer by reading textbooks on the subject and doing extensive research on forensics. She also plans on having a big end of the year project where students will research and present an analysis on a major crime scene of their choice along with a possible field trip during the spring. “I was doing some research on possible field trips for the class, and I’ve found a few possibilities, depending on if the budget will allow for it,” stated the forensics teacher.

Overall, many students are excited to start the new school year with the fresh set of science elective courses. With opportunities for experiments, labs, field trips and a career focused track, these new classes offer the potential to prepare many Becton students with the ability to succeed in college and in their future careers.