Starting the 2025-26 school year, the Health Science and Medical Technology Pathway — which includes the Sports Medicine I and Sports Medicine II classes — and the Professional Theater Pathway — which includes Introduction to Professional Theater and Intermediate Professional Theater will be available to students.

While the Professional Theater Pathway does not currently have a teacher assigned, the class is available for interested students to enroll.

In Introduction to Professional Theater, “students will study improvisation and theater games, public speaking, acting for theater and film, stage combat [and] dramatic and sketch comedy writing. [The] course is designed for all students, ranging from those who have participated in theater previously to those who have never stepped onto the stage,” according to the Counseling Department.

Ethan Erstling (10), who has been a part of the TP Players for one year, voiced his interest in taking the course.

“I really like theater and I want to learn more about that,” Erstling said. “Hopefully we will have props available to us. I think the class will be good for college since I want to go to an art/theater college.”

Lacey Sovacool, Weight Training, Dance P.E. and Health teacher, presented a proposal for the Sports Medicine I and II classes to the SDUHSD Office on Dec. 9., including a curriculum. Sovacool will be teaching the course starting in the fall.

Sports Medicine I “provides an overview of the field of sports medicine with an emphasis on the prevention, recognition, evaluation, first aid/CPR/AED, rehabilitation and treatment of athletic injuries,” according to the Counseling Department. Students will also have the opportunity to study and apply all various aspects of sports medicine including “sports injury law, sports psychology, nutrition, emergency action plan and initial injury evaluation, the injury and rehabilitation process and the immediate care of athletic injuries of specific body areas.”

“I was an athletic trainer, so I have expertise in the background,” Sovacool said. “I didn’t have anything like this at my high school, and I would have been interested in it.”

Sovacool presented the benefits of the class and what students can gain from it.

“The class is good for anyone interested in pre-medical or sports medicine,” Sovacool said. “I think the class is going to be such a positive community [and] a project-based class. By being able to establish those really good relationships and community skills within the class, students will thrive and receive all the benefits it has to offer.”

The class also covers topics of the human body, personal fitness, injuries and recovery, physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, anatomy and physics.

Ava Timlake (10) expressed a strong interest in the class.

“From facing a personal knee injury, where I dislocated my knee, I have become interested in injury prevention and the anatomy of the body,” Timlake said.

Timlake shared how she learns best and how the course will cater to her interests.

“I am interested in learning taping and stretching techniques with visual and physical demonstrations,” Timlake said. “That is the way I learn best and is most effective for me. The course seems to satisfy all my interests.”

Next year, Timlake plans to join the pathway, excited to incorporate her interests into her coursework.

“I plan to take the two-year pathway, including Sports Medicine I and II, and I believe it will enhance my academic well-being,” Timlake said. “I hope to continue a career in sports medicine or physical therapy.”

Samantha Powell-Parsons (10) shared her enthusiasm for the course.

“The course will allow me to be in a creative space where I can explore what I have been interested in,” Powell-Parsons said. “I have always been interested in medicine.”

Powell-Parsons communicated her interest in topics she is hoping to learn about in the class.

“I hope that I can learn suturing skills and the basics of anatomy and physiology,” Powell-Parsons said.

With experienced teachers leading the class, like Lindsey Olson, assisting in the class, it is set to thrive. Olsen also teaches Biology, Physiology and Anatomy.

“I think both of the teachers are great resources for information,” Powell-Parsons said. “They teach other classes and have experience in the medical field, so they are very knowledgeable.”

Students are excited to see what the classes will bring to their future and success during their high school years.

“I am more than excited to see what this class has to offer, not only for myself but my future,” Timlake said.