Every year, students coming back from winter break are struck with decisions for their next school year. Almost immediately, a new course guide is introduced, usually containing more options than the last.

This year, an email was sent out to Coppell High School students and parents listing the new courses that will be added for the 2023-24 school year. These classes include Guitar I, AP Pre-Calculus, Honors Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies, Vivace! Show Choir and Debate Mock Trial. 

Honors Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies was introduced for the 2022-2023 school year, but its implementation was delayed. 

According to the 2022-23 CHS course guide, the class’s curriculum was set to cover the contributions of Mexican Americans in a historical perspective, detailing events prior to and during the 20th and 21st centuries. Due to low enrollment, however, the class wasn’t offered, but it is now re-introduced for the 2023-24 school year.

College Board recently introduced an AP Pre-Calculus course for students to take in the upcoming school year. Coppell currently has an Honors Pre-Calculus course, and has decided to adopt the new AP Pre-Calculus class due to the existing rigor in the Honors Pre-Calculus classes at CHS, proving the readiness of students for the AP class.

Coppell Choir’s spring show choir known as Vivace! is a mixed show choir in which students both sing and dance throughout a themed performance. Vivace! currently runs as an extracurricular program with rehearsals on Mondays and Wednesdays leading up to its spring show in April. As listed in the course guide, Vivace! seeks to evolve singers into performers with the involvement of choreography and singing through two performances a year. 

“A lot of students are not able to participate because of outside of school obligations,” CHS choir director Aaron Coronado said. “Having [Vivace!] as an actual class will make it part of the school day which will hopefully open up the opportunity to allow more kids to participate.”

The primary function of Vivace! won’t have any difference, but a prominent distinction may be found in the performance.

“If this becomes a successful thing where we have it during the day, we will start competing,” Coronado said. “Most of it is just for fun [right now] and we do a really great show where we are at the level to be able to compete, but the way the schedule works, it doesn’t align with how we do show choir.”

Guitar I will focus on building the basics of beginner technique with guitar, attempting to gain mastery in the fundamentals of playing and reading music. Guitar I was added as a replacement to Tech Theater I, which is being removed from CHS. Tech theater I will remain at the CHS9 campus.

“I hope Guitar I [is selected by students] because I see so many kids who play guitar around campus,” CHS lead counselor Ann Cinelli said. “One day I walked out of a pep rally and I saw kids sitting with guitars just playing and I thought that was really cool.”

Similar to an actual trial, in Debate Mock Trial, students are given cases to work with in which they must prep both sides for argument. According to the CHS course guide, Mock Trial is designed to further research and speaking skills for students through competitions and tournaments.

“I think it’s a lot more realistic to what a trial really is, as most people go into debate wanting to be a lawyer but they won’t really understand how it works,” CHS junior Mock Trial Club president Rishi Dasari said. “Mock trial is quite literally how it works.” 

Along with the premise of the class, Dasari also emphasizes what he hopes students will get out of the class and what he hopes will carry over from the club to the class.

“I hope that students will get better argumentative skills, better researching skills and become more confident in their speaking,” Dasari said. “I hope working as a group and having everyone involved [will carry over].”

Although these classes are open for registration, factors such as low enrollment could alter whether these classes are solidified in the 2023-24 school year.

“Giving options is super important because it helps [students] decide what [they] like and don’t like, and I feel like we lack in a couple areas,” Cinelli said. “What we want you to do in high school is figure out the things you like and the things you’re good at so we can really dive into that and showcase it.”

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