Junior Ayah Hakim imagines herself in her senior year, walking into a new science class, Pathophysiology, excited to learn about diseases. Next school year will be the first year that Bowie adds this class to the course catalog among many other classes, and Hakim is already anticipating the benefits that taking this class will have in advancing her medical career.
For the upcoming school year, Bowie will offer a variety of new elective and core classes to students. These courses feature a range of subjects, including science, cultures, fine arts, and other career-based electives.
“I think it’s good that Bowie is offering additional classes to students,” Hakim said. “It’ll help students find a class that they are passionate about and enjoy, instead of taking a boring class they aren’t interested in.”
Science teacher Stacie Feen will teach the new Pathophysiology class and said the class will focus on the study of diseases and how they affect the body, how they work and function, as well as disease prevention.
“I like the anatomy class I’m currently in,” Hakim said. “It was really fun, and I learned a lot about the different body systems. Hopefully, in this class, I’ll be able to study the disease of each body system and more and more unique aspects of diseases.”
Pathophysiology will be an extension of the disease-based content covered in Anatomy and Physiology. This class aims to work as a supporting class to various health-based science courses. According to Feen, Pathophysiology can be a beneficial course for students who are interested in taking Practicum in Health Science as an upperclassman.
“I hope that by taking Pathophysiology, it will help me to take the things we learn in the class and apply them to scenarios or hands-on activities in practicum,” Hakim said. “It’ll also help me with the medical certification we take at the end of the year in practicum.”
Another class that will be offered at Bowie is Literary Genres, Mythology, Folklore, and Culture. According to English teacher Scott Dennis, the class will focus on the myths, legends, folklore, and tales from various cultures throughout history and their impact on American society and culture. The cultures studied include Greco-Roman, Scandinavian-German, Celtic, African/Afro American, Native American, and Asian.
“Students need to be aware of world mythology and folklore,” Dennis said. “Many literary and visual works reference the gods and tales from the various cultures, and students need to know who, what, and why these references are made.”
According to studies done by Edutopia, a nationwide survey conducted of sixth through 12th graders, they were asked what engaged them the most as learners, Elective ranked high in results. According to education researcher Robert Marzano, choice has also been linked to increases in student effort, task performance, and subsequent learning.
“I’ve always been interested in mythology,” sophomore Jay Blood said. “I hope to learn more about Egyptian mythology. It’s really complicated and complex, but it’s really fun to learn about.
Additionally, Bowie will be offering a Women’s Literature course that will highlight various works, such as books, poetry, and songs, written by and about women and works that contain feminist themes throughout history. According to Women’s Literature teacher Chrissy Hejny, the course examines how women’s stories have shaped and been shaped by society.
“Women make up half the population across racial and ethnic boundaries, and their contributions to literature have been strategically overlooked and undervalued,” Hejny said. “This course will empower every student who takes it to seek the full story in every situation and confidently navigate an increasingly inclusive, diverse global community.”
Bowie is also going to offer a Dual Credit Theatre Appreciation course. According to theatre teacher Kade Lasseigne, this is a college-level course focused on history through reading scripts of various plays throughout time. It will involve class discussions and writing analyses of the scripts to help students gain a broader knowledge of play scripts.
“I think it is important to see where entertainment right now in 2025 came from,” Lasseigne said. “Theatre is the origin of movies and TV, and without it, we wouldn’t have entertainment the way it is today. These stories we are reading are also relevant to today’s climate, people just don’t know it.”
According to BigFuture, electives can be used for students to learn more about a specific interest or follow a preexisting passion, and help students stand out in their college applications. With these new electives, Hakim hopes that these courses can help provide students with more opportunities to pursue their academic goals.
“I think it’s good that Bowie offers all these cool pathways that enable students to do something they are interested in, some of those even offering certifications to get a job straight out of high school,” Hakim said. “These varieties of classes could improve student interest in their classes and benefit attendance for the school.”
