High school to offer eight new courses next year, including EMT, AI and broadcast journalism

District staff updated the Old Saybrook Board of Education on new high‑school course planning for next academic year. Staff said 14 new courses were proposed and that, based on student interest and enrollment, the school expects to run eight next year.

The eight courses staff identified as likely to run are business and marketing essentials; small business accounting; introduction to artificial intelligence; drama (converted from a semester to a year‑long course); peer foundations (a year‑long freshman seminar/21st‑century skills course); EMT (with a certification exam component for those who pass); Allied Health (a CP‑level course sampling units across health fields); electrical applications for STEM; a teaching‑pathway course for students interested in education careers; and broadcast and print journalism.

Staff said some courses require instructor certification or have prerequisites and that full course descriptions and prerequisites are posted in the high‑school program of studies on the district website. The board and student representative discussed that many of the courses were added in response to student survey feedback and that several are tied to career pathways.

What happens next: staff will finalize course materials over the summer, confirm staffing and prerequisites, and provide the board a more detailed packet on each course before the fall semester.