Brooke Kelly ’18: Mythbusters and Peoples of the Book, two popular courses, will be discontinued in the 2015-2016 school year. These classes were popular within the student body, and although Upper School students will no longer have the opportunity to take these classes, faculty members assert that similar courses in next year’s curriculum will replace them both.
The religion department has decided to replace Peoples of the Book with Sacred Texts, a course that analyzes how ancient scripture affects modern day conflicts. Much of the material from Peoples of the Book will be studied in this new course, therefore students who have already taken Peoples of the Book will not be allowed to enroll in Sacred Texts.
Dr. Christopher Row, the current teacher of Peoples of the Book, elaborated, “What’s going to be added is showing students how many of these texts, which may be three thousand years old, are very much alive and well today, shaping the world in which we live.”
Dana Giles ‘15 commented, “[The class will] be more interesting because you’re learning about current events.” Sacred Texts will also attempt to enhance students’ study skills. According to Row, the course will involve “working more intentionally and consciously with our study skills program to make sure that incoming III-Formers (ninth graders) have the skills necessary to succeed.”
Along with the replacement of Peoples of the Book, the Mythbusters course will also no longer be offered. Mythbusters is a class that uses science to debunk myths, in line with the television show namesake. Edward Mathisen, who teaches Mythbusters, explained, “I’ve been doing [Mythbusters] for seven years and it felt like it was time for something new.”
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Mathisen and possibly Christy Rheam, another member of the Upper School Science Department, are planning the replacement course. Though the name of the course has yet to be determined, Mathisen has chosen to create a “What If” style class that focuses on creating “serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions.” Mathisen cited an example of a question they would answer as, “How long would it take a bowling ball to reach the bottom of the ocean?”
Jay Kelly ‘14, an Episcopal alum who took Mathisen’s class last year, remembered, “It was enjoyable everyday I had it and now seeing it go is disappointing because kids won’t get to experience Mythbusters like I did.” Nevertheless, Kelly is sure that “Mathisen is probably planning something equally as fun with his new class.”
The courses that they will offer next year will contribute fresh and exciting material, but most importantly they will prepare students for success outside of EA. Row reflected this view for his class, saying that “the objective of every teacher here at EA [is] to make sure every student is equipped with the tools to succeed, both here at EA and in the world beyond, as thoughtful scholars and inquisitive minds.”