Course Catalog Expands to Add New Science Classes
Posters of the new science electives can be found around campus.
With a wider array of options than ever before, high school haumāna can anticipate more academic opportunities better tailored to their interests.
The newly revamped course catalog for the 2023-2024 school year includes dozens of new courses not previously available. Some of these courses can be taken to fulfill graduation requirements, including many of the new science courses that have been implemented.
There will be three new science courses available to high school haumāna grades 10-12 next school year. Those courses are ʻĀina-based STEM, Diversity of Life, and Zoology. All of these classes will count towards the three-credit science graduation requirement, though these classes may also be taken as an optional fourth science credit.
ʻĀina-based STEM is the first of the three new courses listed in the course catalog. The class focuses on finding solutions to present-day sustainability issues occurring at both local and global levels. Coming up with these solutions helps haumāna develop STEM skills that translate to STEM-based careers. More importantly, haumāna learn about the different approaches they can take toward influencing a more sustainable future.
Next on the catalog is Diversity of Life. Haumāna enrolled in this “project-based” course can expect to learn about the six biological kingdoms, with a special emphasis on endemic species. As explained in the class description, haumāna are challenged to reflect on the way their lives are impacted by the unique roles different organisms play in human life. The course implements research activities and labs to show the connections between all forms of life–thus illustrating the “diversity of life.”
Lastly is Zoology. Unlike Diversity of Life, Zoology concentrates solely on Kingdom Animalia. Animalistic features from anatomy to behavioral patterns are explored through the course’s curriculum, which aims to “reconnect students to the natural world.” By the end of the course, haumāna will leave as more conscientious individuals with a deeper sense of awareness on issues surrounding the preservation and conservation of animals.
Like many of the existing science courses, these new courses have prerequisites. Diversity of Life and Zoology are life-based sciences, and therefore require enrolled students to have completed Biology. Meanwhile, ʻĀina-based STEM is a mathematical-based science, requiring students to have completed Biology and Algebra 1B with a C or higher.
More information on each course’s objectives can be found in the 2023-2024 Kamehameha Schools Kapalāma High School Course Catalog.
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Hi! My name is Logan and this is my second year on Ka Mō’ī. I am a part of the c/o 2023 and wanted to make this last year memorable for everyone by being a part of the school newspaper. When I'm not on the hill, you can usually find me working at Baskin Robbins as a cake decorator on the weekends. As for my post-high school plans, I intend on double majoring in Communications and Education. After graduating from college, I hope to return to KS as a teacher or admin for some time while I continue to write and do journalism on the side. Eventually, I plan on pursuing a full-time career in writing (though I don't know exactly what that career will be). With the help of everyone else on Ka Mō’ī, I hope to restore the interest haumāna once had in reading the school newspaper. If you have any questions, feel free to email me!
