CEDAR LAKE | When students begin selecting classes for the next school year at Hanover Central High School, they'll now have more from which to choose.
Guidance director Lila Garrett, Principal Robert McRae, and instructor Dana Bogathy have some expanded offerings on tap for the new Hospitality and Tourism Career Academy.
Superintendent Carol Kaiser and the School Board liked what they heard.
"We appreciate your vision," Kaiser said in commending the trio and others for looking closely at offerings to give students greater career opportunities.
The success of this year's Culinary Arts Careers one-semester course provided the springboard for the expanded offerings.
Bogathy, who teaches the course, said it will be expanded to two semesters and taught in a two-hour block four days a week. The fifth day will be devoted to the hotel academy, a course in specialized marketing for travel, tourism, event planning and sports. The instructor will be from the South Shore Convention and Visitors' Bureau, one of the academy's partners, she said.
Other courses will be sports, recreation and entertainment marketing and nutrition and wellness.
Not only will there be new classes, but also an increased number of dual-credit offerings will be available to give students a leg up in their postsecondary education and relief to their bank accounts.
Garrett said Hanover has been a leader in dual-credit partnerships with postsecondary institutions.
"We've done that for years. ... Many of our students have enough credits for a semester of college," she said.
In the fall, dual credits will be added for Advanced Placement Biology, which joins AP chemistry, U.S. History, English and Spanish IV courses.
Garrett said an Introduction to Microcomputers course, taught by an Ivy Tech instructor, was an unexpected addition to this semester and will be added for the upcoming fall term, she said.
In the social studies department, World History I and World History II honors classes will be offered.
Fundamental English 10, 11, and 12 will be added to freshman offerings.
