One of the reasons students love Xavier College Preparatory so much is due to all of the dynamic, interesting and challenging opportunities for learning.
Xavier is working to offer new courses within its curriculum and greater areas of study.
After five years without a new history course, Xavier has approved and added four new elective classes for students to take next year. These include the Holocaust, Constitutional Law, and Sounds of the Centuries.
Gina Nunez, one of Xavier’s social studies teachers, will be teaching two classes on the Holocaust.
“I wanted to look at our demographic here at Xavier and our diverse community, so I felt that these social studies classes would hit some of our population,” Nunez said.
Nunez also always found an interest in the Holocaust and believes it is a pivotal moment in history. “I think students need to be informed and learn more about a horrific moment in history,” Nunez said. She wants to focus the class upon the survivors’ personal experiences. An example is through oral interviews with survivors.
Daniel Long, another of Xavier’s social studies teachers, feels passionate about music and how it can reflect the current events in the world.
Long wants to incorporate how music has a deeper meaning. “In events like the Civil War and Vietnam there are convergents of entertainers looking at a critical response to both of those movements,” Long said.
In his new elective class, Sounds of the Centuries, he wants to highlight all of the musical reflections of the current state of the world, as well as pop culture itself. An example of this is learning about music in the 70s and 80s.
“I think Sounds of the Centuries gives students the opportunity to explore the musical history behind their [students’] favorite albums or movements that inspired artists,” said Long.
With the popularity of Ileen Welty, social studies teacher at Xavier, Constitutional Law is going to be taught. The course is focused on federal cases and court rulings as well as the Constitution in trials.
“Some of the cases are mind-blowing from not only a forensic standpoint but also how the Constitution factors into it,” said Welty.
While new classes are being introduced, Xavier decided to drop AP European History out of the course offerings. “I wanted to move on from it because it overlaps with AP World History since the college board changed the curriculum,” Nunez said.
