LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - A new name and a dozen new classes are bringing new opportunities to middle school students in La Mesa.
Parkway Middle School is now Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy.
"Parkway has always been a great school," says Principal Jacob Ruth. "But we want to add to it. We want to take it to the next level."
The "next level" means giving students a way to match their passions with STEM-related classes that can lead to careers. This year, Parkway added 12 new elective courses. Students get to take two each trimester, giving them the chance to sample a broad range of topics.
"We want to connect (them) to college and career pathways in middle school, get them excited, get them exposed to these different jobs and opportunities that they're going to have in high school, college and career," says Ruth.
The new classes include Sports Medicine, Medical Detectives, Zoology, Marine Biology, Engineering & Skateboarding, The Science of Surfing, Shark Tank, Competitive Hip Hop Dance, Team Sports, Hiking & History, Sports Travel, and Baseball Finance. All the classes link the students to the Career Pathways courses in the Grossmont Union High School District.
"Having that variety makes our school more appealing," says Lindsay Nicoll, who teaches PE and the Sports Medicine class. "Students have that connection to the high schools that have those pathways, and they can figure out what they want to do in the future."
Patrick Martin, who teaches Engineering and Skateboarding, says he has a class full of skaters and scientists, eager to learn.
"It's super exciting," Martin says. "Kids come in, and they have these passions, and then it links them up to science, math, physiology, or whatever the elective might be."
Excitement for the classes has already led to increased attendance. Enrollment jumped by 10% over last year. Principal Ruth says that's a direct result of the new options.
Parkway got $50,000 in extra funding from the district to help pay for new equipment, textbooks, and classroom resources. Principal Ruth says he's also looking for grants that can help defray other costs, like field trips. He hopes to expand the program in the future.
The school still offers traditional electives, like music, arts, journalism, and more. Ruth says those will always play a vital role on the campus. But the new classes add a different dimension to learning.
"We're thinking about how we can expose students and excite students about these great opportunities coming in the future," says Ruth, who had been working on the name change and new curriculum for a couple of years.
"It's a different way to engage them in learning and thinking and being excited about school."
