2025 marks the year Wayzata High School has added a whopping 9 courses to the already expansive course catalogue, now with over 302 available classes. They cover a wide range of subjects, including music, medicine, business, English, history, and science. Out of these nine, many cover important topics to the current technological landscape, as well as unique topics that high school students have been searching for. Here is a comprehensive list about each one and the opportunities they present to students.
AI for All: AI’s Impact on Sports, Business, and You is one of the new business electives making their debut this year. This one term-one credit class is open to students of all grades, with no prerequisites necessary. AI use and effects is a large topic in the world today, and this course dives right into how it works and its effects on sports, business, and you. In class, students create simple AI models, use AI to power projects, and debate the ethical questions that surround the use of AI.
AP Cyber: Networking, another business elective, is a college level introductory course to the foundational cyber security and networking concepts of hardware, network design, and configuration. With an emphasis on methods of problem solving, the class aims to prepare students for careers in IT systems, security analysis, and/or to become a Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST). Students of all grades can earn one credit for this term-long class, and if students get a 3 or more in the AP exam, they can get a free certification for test prep of a CompTIA industry-recognized credential (IRC) for the certification exam.
AP Cyber: Security and Applied Mathematics is a compass class that is similar in content to AP Cyber Networking. Juniors and seniors in this class are recommended to take a computer class before entering this two block- two term class to get 4 credits, but it is not required. This is a truly loaded class, covering foundational cybersecurity concepts, digital forensics, modern cyber threats and how to deal with them, political science, and plenty of personal finance topics that meet the finance requirement for graduation. This course is made for students who are interested in careers in technology, engineering, math, or law enforcement. All the aspiring FBI agents at Wayzata will find this class of great use.
Intro to Hospitality & Tourism is a unique addition to the business electives that is all about lodging, food and beverage service, travel, attractions, event planning, and tourism management. It lasts one term and provides one credit, giving students of any grade a good understanding of the hospitality and tourism industry, the 5th largest industry in the US. The class teaches key concepts like customer service, operational aspects, industry trends, career opportunities, and ethical considerations, as well as preparing students for potential careers in the field.
Medical Interventions (PLTW Articulated-Stem) reviews the past, present, and future of Biomedical science through frequent lab experiments and collaborative projects. This semester-long class can only be taken by juniors and seniors who have the prerequisite of Biomedical Science or AP Biology under their belt. Though the study of medicine may seem like endless vocab to memorize, this class takes a different approach. Students follow the lives of a fictional family to study immunology, DNA analysis, surgery, pharmacology, medical devices, diagnostics, as well as grasping an understanding on how to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, as well as how to prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Among these topics the curriculum holds an emphasis on the role of scientific thinking and engineering design for the medicine of the future.
Botany- Understanding Plants has a thorough biology centered curriculum, demanding the juniors and seniors in the class to have taken biology, AP biology, or biomedical science to get in the class and earn a credit for it. It dives into the world of plant composition, ranging from molecular form to whole ecosystems. Students explore the structure, function, growth, and reproduction of plants through lectures, fieldwork, and tactile lab experiments. This one term course is perfectly designed for students exploring biology related majors in college.
Guitar is a fan favorite of the new classes this year, being featured on the WHS instagram page multiple times. Thanks to funding from the District and Wayzata Education Fund, students are provided with school-owned guitars of which they can use for class. The curriculum covers music theory through standard and tablature anotation; the study of multiples of music genres; as well as solo and ensemble pieces. In class students will also develop skills to play simple melodies and master the basic chords and strumming patterns, while also examining the careers of influential guitarists.
Among other special aspects of the class, Mr. Clifford, the guitar teacher, highlights, “This class is also unique when compared to our traditional band, orchestra, and choir offerings because there is no expectation of previous experience… which attracts students who otherwise would not be represented in our traditional ensemble offerings.”
Mastering Grammar is an English elective for sophomores, juniors, and seniors who aspire to be proficient grammarians. Students earn not only a credit in this one term class, but also an understanding of fundamental grammar concepts that will prove essential to the English section of the ACT and reading section of the SAT. This course is notably not a composition class, meaning that the curriculum focuses on common grammar issues in student writing rather than focusing on essays. Although grammar isn’t typically adored by students, it is vital to success in academic writing, making this class a crucial opportunity for students to get ahead.
A student in the class, junior Ava Mickelson, reports, “It is a very helpful class; I’ve learned more in it than I have in the two years of English that I’ve taken.”
Native American Studies digs deeper into the history of the Native American nations across the modern Continental United States that has been glossed over in regular history courses. The class spends a term showcasing the diverse cultures, lifestyles, histories, and perspectives of Native American nations by analyzing accounts from prehistoric times to the present. The achievements and struggles that Natives persevered through are examined, bringing light to stories that may otherwise remain in the dark.
The nine added classes enrich the huge course list with fresh topics of study that will be enjoyed and beneficial to all. These blurbs do not paint the full picture of each new class, so stay tuned in the Trojan Tribune for more in depth reports on them.
