Isabella Matuk

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a cooking class? Or maybe a career-oriented class? Many Saint Viator students have wondered why our school has only a very limited amount of classes, specifically a lack of those that will let us venture into new areas of subjects and may lead us to a future college major and career.
An example of a school offering a huge variety of classes is Barrington High School. They have a Career and Technical Education program that allows students to explore various subjects, including Early Childhood Education, Horticulture, or Architecture and Interior Design. These students have the opportunity to discover specific fields. There is such a huge range that students can venture into. Barrington’s emphasis on career-oriented classes benefits students in the long run.
Similarly, Lake Zurich High School offers Dual Credit Classes. Examples of this kind of class are the mathematics and computer science courses, offered in relationship with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Students take the class at Lake Zurich and receive credits for UIUC, which decreases the student’s tuition cost. Dual Credit Classes would be a great asset to Saint Viator, as they allow students to achieve high school and college credit apart simultaneously.
Lake Zurich also has ISBE College & Career Pathway Endorsements that provide career focused courses, work-based learning, and even internships. This allows students to smoothly transition into college and dive deeper into potential careers.
These schools have a lot more funding which correlates to the amount of classes they have. They also have a lot more students to take these courses. They get their funding from the government as all public schools do. Due to our school being private, we do not have that luxury. There are many ways we can fund classes but some include having more donors give money to our school and sit down with the Illinois Board of Education to see if they could fund a portion.
In recent years, Saint Viator has introduced some niche classes that captivated many students. Forensics allows students to explore their interest in the field of criminology that may, potentially drawing them to a related major or career. Implementing career-oriented classes may be a financial commitment, but they allow students to have a more well-rounded education.
Having classes and opportunities in marketing, business, pre-med, and many more, St. Viator students would have a better idea of what they are interested in studying in the future. Students and Faculty, let’s find a way to make this happen.