Middle school electives program gives St. John the Baptist students many opportunities

Courtesy of Saint John the Baptist Catholic School

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Among the electivs available to St. John the Babpist f4th-graders is art.

DRAPER — For the 2016-17 school year, 4th- and 5th-graders at Saint John the Baptist Middle School were able to supplement their required courses with a once-a-week class chosen from a range of elective subjects, which included art, percussion instruments and Zumba.

The teachers offered electives based on their experiences with the kids and their expertise.

PE teacher Jen Hall offered yoga because “when I have done fitness testing, I noticed one of the main areas the students could really improve on is their flexibility,” Hall said. “So many of the students spend a great deal of time playing sports, but it isn’t obvious to me that they are stretching enough. I also wanted to give them time to calm their minds and bodies from the normal day-to-day stuff.”

The reaction to the yoga curriculum has been positive, she said. “It has seemed to be well received by the students and the parents. This elective also gives the students the benefit of a lifelong physical activity.”

For 5th-graders, Denise Page offered a semester of computer coding, and yearbook for the second semester. She also taught chess online to 4th-graders for both semesters because “it has so many benefits for learning and strategy,” she said.

 “It has been said that there will be over 1 million job openings for coding by 2025,” Page said. “Coding is a huge part of our future, and the students love to learn how to code and make simple games themselves.”

For the past 10 years, Page has been creating the school yearbook, and “a few years ago, we decided it would be great if the 5th-graders could help with the project.”

Each student on the committee was asked to create at least two pages for the yearbook, she said.

Because the yearbook had to be finished by mid-April, the students had time for another project before the semester ended.  

“We all took iPads and walked the campus. Students could take pictures of anything that reminded them of their years here at the elementary. They then took those pictures and made a video to music to keep with them as they move on to middle school,” said Page.

Like Hall, Page has seen a positive reaction to the electives.

 “I have many students already telling me they hope to get my class next year,” she said. “Our young students of the future have grown up only knowing life with technology and computers, so they are naturals with the computer and love to learn and express themselves using technology.”

The electives have helped the students step out of their normal routines “and experience new things that they may not have tried otherwise,” she said. “I know from experience that I personally did not know how to play chess before the elective, but I know now. It is never too late to learn something new.”