Sound Off: What new electives should Manteca High offer in 2024-25?

In recent years, Manteca High Schol has added new electives for its student body, including Sports Media, Sports Marketing and Entrepreneurship. As counseling and administration build the 2024-25 schedule, what new electives should the school offer its students?  

Caylen Garibay, student reporter 

I would suggest bringing back Driver’s Education as a top priority, but I would also like to see a class that revolves around the idea of social skills. This class would focus on how to talk to people and learning about social interactions for selling, relationships, everyday behavior analysis, and understanding basic appearances to relate to common behaviors. This class would be a type of psychology class that helps students understand small details in their social life and everyday life to help them learn to “read the room” and be better at talking and taking action in certain situations. I think it would be useful not only for students who are into psychology and want to be better at identifying issues, but also for anyone to learn how to be better about going about their everyday life that sometimes can be a scary and confusing place when you don’t understand certain qualities of appearance and behavior. 

Jesus Sarmiento, student reporter 

One class they can offer is cultural studies and diversity. In a diverse and interconnected world, understanding different cultures and perspectives is crucial. This elective can explore topics such as global cultures, social justice, and cultural anthropology, fostering empathy, tolerance, and intercultural understanding among students. 

Josh Graves, student reporter 

I think that they should bring back the Driver’s Education class as an elective, because it would help kids that are about to take the permit test or take their license test. It would give students more of a chance to study and get the knowledge of driving on the roads instead of only getting the online training for the permit course. It would also improve the number of times the kids take the permit test, because recently it has been taking some kids more than three of the max attempts, which is nine times. Overall, it would be a promising idea to bring back the Driver’s Education class so it can help the kids with their knowledge of the road more. 

Nora Hystad, student reporter 

Manteca High School should consider adding an architecture class to its elective offerings for the 2024-25 schedule. This course would introduce students to the principles of architecture, including design concepts, architectural history, building materials, and construction techniques. Students would have the opportunity to explore architectural drawing, 3D modeling software, and hands-on design projects. The architecture class would not only cater to students interested in pursuing careers in architecture, engineering, or construction but also appeal to those curious about design, urban planning, and sustainable architecture. It would provide valuable skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork. By offering an architecture class, Manteca High School can empower students to engage with real-world challenges, foster innovation, and inspire a passion for design and the built environment. 

Bryan Jimenez, student reporter 

Manteca High has introduced elective classes to its student body, which includes Sports and Entrepreneurship. I would like to see additional electives such as foreign classes. One language I would like to see is sign language, which can help improve communication with those with a loss of hearing. Another elective I would like to see in MHS is a class which teaches skills in the kitchen or around a grill. This could help people create a healthy lifestyle within a budget. Another class could be Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining, it can help people develop skills, and understand the basics of machining, how to program, how to machine parts, etc. 

Izzy Gillette, student reporter 

An elective I think would be cool for Manteca High is culinary arts. Manteca has surprisingly not offered this class. I think it would be an interesting class for kids to learn how to cook. Culinary is a class that dives into the world of cooking and food preparation. Students would gain important skills like food safety, nutrition, and even culinary history. Kids also get to be creative in the kitchen and create unique dishes. Culinary is a valuable class to take to learn the essential skill of cooking that will be used for your whole life. 

Stephany Medina, student reporter 

Manteca High should implement additional courses in the foreign language department. Foreign languages I would like to see is Portuguese, Mandarin, or American Sign Language. By implementing more foreign language it creates inclusivity and helps to eliminate language barriers. Furthermore, it would incentivize students to take more than the required amount of foreign language, if it is a language they are passionate about. This would also force students to use their critical thinking skills and exercise the other side of one’s brain. Another elective that Manteca High should implement is more typing classes. By creating more typing classes, it would help to ensure every student has more digital literacy. This will help students in their future, making sure that they can effectively use technology. This would be both useful in college, as a lot of assignments are online or with obtaining a job.  

Dario Rodriguez, student reporter 

With Manteca High coming up as a prestigious academic school the elective side of the school needs expanding. The 2023-24 school year received 3 additional electives (Sports Media, Sports Marketing, and Entrepreneurship). But MHS is also receiving new counseling which brings the challenge of new student desires for classes. Personally, I believe the school should provide classes that are skill based and provide hands on learning. For example, sports medicine is a class that we have but it is more textbook than it is interactive. I have total confidence in the curriculum itself, but if I could change it, I would make it more hands on. An example of a class we should bring back is auto mechanics. It was a very job focused and hands on class that helped aspiring mechanics get hands on experience in school.