New classes coming to Mason High School: The science of well-being, Queen City history
Alex Beurket, a teacher at Mason High School, came across a podcast in 2019 featuring Yale professor Laurie Santos, who teaches Yale's most popular class on "the science of well-being. People who take it get 17% happier, she says.
Beurket was hooked. He has always been interested in psychology and self-betterment, he said, so when COVID-19 hit and Santos made the course free to everyone online, he enrolled.
"That was really exciting and inspirational," he said. Now, Beurket wants his students to experience the class, too.
So he'll be teaching it next fall.
The class, which will focus on mindfulness, is among Mason High School's new offerings for next fall. Another elective will explore Cincinnati-specific history. The district adds and replaces niche courses regularly to keep up with teacher and student interests.
The courses coming next school year are nearly all under the social studies department. That's because the district rotates among departments every few years as part of its curriculum review process, said Amy Brennan, Mason's deputy superintendent of learning. Next up Mason will dig into its math curriculum.
The district keeps parents and community members involved along the way as new courses are developed, Brennan said. Launching a new class is at least a 16-month process that "starts with students and what their needs are."
Learning 'to live the best and most mentally healthy lives'
Beurket and Beth Celenza oversee Mason High School's Hope Squad. The local nonprofit Grant Us Hope has implemented the peer-to-peer suicide prevention program in more than 240 schools across Ohio. Hope Squads are in 30 states across the country, and Ohio has the most squads of any state besides Utah.
Kids in Hope Squad talk a lot about mental health and learn through the program what resources are available when they need help. They have special guests, too, who discuss mindfulness practices and other powerful tools to live life to the fullest.
This got Beurket thinking: "Could we do something like this as a class for everybody, not just for Hope Squad?"
With Santos' free curriculum guide for high schools, it's possible.
Beurket and Celenza will teach sections of the semester-long class next school year, depending on enrollment. Any student in grades 9-12 can sign up.
Celenza said she went back to school while she was a teacher to get a degree in psychology, so this class is particularly exciting for her. She plans to collaborate often with Beurket, who is a certified yoga instructor.
Santos' curriculum is laid out pretty clearly for the course. But both Beurket and Celenza understand that when it comes to mental health, things don't always go as planned. They anticipate the class to be a bit unpredictable, greatly influenced by student interests and, for the first semester, a lot of trial and error.
"We can pivot as needed based off the needs of our kids because that's the purpose of this course," Celenza said, "is learning how to use our brains and good tools to live the best and most mentally healthy lives as possible for each individual."
Igniting a passion for local history
Sometimes in Rachel Pansing's American history classes, she will ask students if they have ever seen examples of certain architecture or other landmarks Downtown.
"A lot of the kids don't raise their hands," she said.
Knowing your hometown's history is core to Pansing's identity. She grew up in Virginia and her passion for history grew from the hands-on experiences she had visiting places like colonial Williamsburg. As a kid, she often went on school field trips to historic sites.
Pansing wants to ignite that same passion in her Mason students, which is how the Queen City Studies course was born.
"We have phenomenal museums Downtown and a lot of the kids have never been to them," Pansing said. Several students have been to the city center for sporting events and other entertainment, she said, but not so much to study Cincinnati's history.
She plans to bring in guest speakers in addition to going on a Downtown field trip. The trip's itinerary will be determined by her students and their interests, Pansing said. Kids in the class will dive into Mason-specific history, too.
Pansing's class is open to juniors and seniors who have already taken American history.
Other new classes coming to Mason High School
The Mason school board also approved the following new classes to begin next school year, if they meet enrollment requirements.
Perspectives on sports and American culture is an elective for high schoolers that will tackle the significance of sports in students' personal lives and the broader society, according to the course proposal. Students will discuss the influence of recreational, organized and commercial sports in their communities.
Leadership, public policy and you is an elective for upperclassmen at the high school. Students who take the class will discuss today's political climate and what makes an effective leader. Students will also look inward to discover their own leadership potential and the skills they need to "best equip them to be a future leader," the course proposal reads.
Metal madness is a science elective for high schoolers. The course will explore the properties and uses of materials including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and biomaterials. The course proposal says this class combines elements of physics, chemistry and engineering and will open students' eyes to career opportunities in aerospace, electronics, sports equipment, medicine and other STEM fields.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mason High School to launch 5 courses including science of well-being
