Clay II and Video Production Plus are two classes that are coming into affect next year. Both extend classes that are already part of the curriculum, Video Production and Clay I.

In regular Video Production, you learn basic filming techniques, how to set up interviews, craft a news story and use iMovie to make and edit videos.

“I think taking Journalism would be a big help for Video Production,” senior Katrina Fey said. “It helped to expand my skills.”

In Clay I, you learn about coiling, slab construction, how to use the potter’s wheel and build-up. Thinking and drawing are focused on in the beginning of the semester as well.

Both of these new classes focus on continuing the skills learned in the prerequisite class.

Video production plus, that will be taught next year by business education teacher Michael Barta, will not be much different from regular video production. However, in video production plus, the students would be returning for their second year of the class, so they would be more experienced in making/editing videos. Some of the returnees will even be editors of Dragon TV.

“I’m really pumped (about the class),” Barta said. “Our second year kids are doing a fantastic job, without them, Dragon TV wouldn’t exist.”

In Clay II, that will be taught by art teacher Emily Slattery-Phillips, expect a continuation of the concepts and skills learned in Clay I. There will be more advanced projects, along with new clay-related concepts and techniques. A big addition to the class will be more time on the potter’s wheel. Because of this, the class is adding more wheels to their previous four wheels. A completely new addition to the class will be raku firing, a Japanese form of pottery that includes an outdoor kiln.

“[The class] will be a very unique experience,” Slattery-Phillips said. “I’m very excited about that.”

The process for these two classes to actually become real classes was a long and grueling process. Both Barta and Slattery-Phillips had to fill out documents they received from Principal Brent Riessen. Then they both had to plan out how the class was going to work and record that onto the documents. After that was finished, Riessen sent the documents to the Associate Superintendent of Academic Service, Bruce Amedt. Once Amedt approved the documents, he sent them off to the school board. From this point, the school board called in Barta and Slattery-Phillips to advocate for their classes that they want. The two of them stood in front of the school board and talked to them for about 3o seconds as the board read through the proposal. Once the school board approved the classes, they then became part of the curriculum next year.

Anyone who has taken Clay I can take Clay II. And to take video production plus, all that is needed is a year of video production.