As the enrollment deadline is only a few days away, students may consider taking one of the courses that was previously unavailable for BV West students. These new courses include AP Seminar, AP Research, AP Environmental Science and Honors Chemistry.

AP Capstone Seminar and AP Research are among them, requiring applications for students who are interested. The application deadline for these courses has just passed. Both of these courses also require a previous or concurrent enrollment in AP Language & Composition. AP Seminar focuses in on both oral and written defenses of arguments, as well as acknowledging multiple perspectives to an issue. AP Research requires students to complete a year-long essay about a student-chosen topic. In essence, it is very similar to the portfolio students complete in AP Lang.

AP Environmental Science is also new for the 2018-2019 school year. Pre-requisites for this course include Algebra I and two credits of laboratory science. Its curriculum includes exploring natural and human-caused environmental problems including hurricanes, earthquakes, global warming, and nuclear meltdowns. College Board includes this synopsis of the course: “Explore and investigate the interrelationships of the natural world, identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.”

Honors Chemistry is being offered for the first time next year. It will cover the same material as the regular Chemistry course, but will cover it in more detail. Unlike Chemistry, Honors Chemistry requires previous or concurrent enrollment in Honors Algebra II. Chemistry’s pre-requisite is Algebra II. The course is math-oriented, requiring a more advanced mathematical background from students. Honors Chemistry is recommended for students who have a high interest in chemistry, or plan on taking Advanced Placement courses in the future.