Greenwich High School presents four new course proposals including AP Cybersecurity and AP Business & Personal Finance

Greenwich High School administrators presented four proposed courses to the Board of Education: AP Business and Personal Finance, AP Human Geography, AP Cybersecurity, and an Honors Art History course intended to prepare students for AP Art History.

David Walker introduced AP Business and Personal Finance, which blends foundational business concepts with applied personal‑finance instruction and carries the district’s personal‑finance graduation requirement. Walker said the course is being piloted this year and staff professional‑development costs are expected to be minimal.

Lucy Areco presented AP Human Geography, describing topics such as population, migration, urban land use and economic development. Several board members raised concerns about the low recommended prerequisite (a C or better) and urged the district to reconsider gateway criteria to ensure students are prepared; administrators said the district has intentionally broadened access and that the same prerequisite is used across other AP offerings.

Andrew Burnham outlined AP Cybersecurity, a new College Board AP pilot designed to prepare students for cyber‑security careers and to leverage existing computer‑science pathways; the department plans to require an introductory computer‑science course and AP Computer Science Principles before the AP Cybersecurity class.

Leah Stilman described a new Honors Art History course that will provide foundational art‑history instruction and better prepare students for AP Art History; administrators said the honors course could reduce initial AP enrollment pressure while improving readiness.

Board members asked about staffing, how the courses fit into existing pathways, pilot status and whether AP scores would translate to college credit. Administrators said the College Board has engaged colleges and that many institutions already indicate willingness to grant some form of credit for approved AP pilots.

No votes were taken; the proposals advanced to the next step of the curriculum-approval process and will return to the board for action at a future meeting.