Friends Select adds new electives each year based on popular demand and the topics teachers are most passionate about.  Next year, there will be two new history electives, a new art elective, and three new English electives.  

Introduction to Economics, taught by Ralph Reinwald, will be offered to 10th-12th graders. The motive behind this elective was popular demand: many students have expressed interest in economics and finance.

The second history elective, Citizen Justice, will be taught by Malik Mubashshir. This course is also offered to students in grades 10-12. Brian stated that “the course originated from Malik’s own interest in and experience with organizations that tap into civilian resources for solving cold cases, such as Philadelphia’s Vidocq Society”

Zoë Blatt will be teaching a new spring art elective for 11th and 12th graders, Video Production.  Zoe believes that filmmaking is an essential part of artistic expression, especially in the 21st century, where we are constantly consuming (and creating) video media. In the course, students will learn the basics of video pre-production and post-production as they explore a variety of film genres. Zoe’s current photography course will morph into Digital Art, to include graphic design and new media like 3D printing and laser cutting.  

The new English electives next year are Film as Text, Shakespeare, and Introduction to Magical Realism. According to department chair Suzanne Morrison, all of these electives are semester long and it is not yet clear who will be teaching these classes. Seniors will have priority with scheduling, but the courses will also be open to 11th graders.

Suzanne stated that over the years students have expressed interest in film analysis and Magical Realism, motivating teachers to create classes to explore these topics. Shakespeare used to be a class at FSS that students enjoyed, so the department decided to bring it back for the 2020-2021 school year.