Last summer STA started offering the option of summer courses to incoming freshmen and sophomores. This summer four new options have been added and expanded to include juniors and seniors as well. Students can take one course for about three hours a day June 3-28.

“Our philosophy is that we don’t stop learning in the summer, even though they are packed,” STA President Nan Bone said.

That is the reason STA started offering summer courses. If girls want to take the time out of their summer and spend the money to take a required class they should have that option, according to Bone.

Ninety-five students chose to take a summer course in 2012. The options included speech, physical education & health, and technology & media literacy. For 2013, introduction to guitar, computer illustration & animation, personal finance, and personal fitness have been added. Courses are $350.

“I don’t understand why summer courses cost extra,” freshman Josie Buford said. “I know some girls who really wanted to take speech this summer but their families can’t afford it so they lose out on the option.”

One of the reasons summer courses cost extra, according to Bone, is that if the summer classes were free, too many girls would sign up. She said tuition only covers all the required courses for the nine months of the school year. Summer courses are completely optional. Most of the summer course tuition goes to the teachers who are hired for the summer courses, Bone said.

Freshmen Cara Gose was glad she took PE last summer for many reasons.

“The classes were shorter and less stressful,” Gose said.“It was a class with no homework, but we still learned a lot.”

Gose also said she liked how the classes were smaller. They spent two hours learning and one hour exercising each day.

“It was refreshing,” Gose said. “It was a good way to get a nice workout in the summer.”

Gose also feels that summer courses are a great way for incoming freshmen to make new friends in the new high school environment.

“I met one of my best friends in the summer PE class,” Gose said. “I also got acquainted with the varsity volleyball coach who was the teacher.”

However freshman Cassandra Beechwood-Hall sees the disadvantages of summer courses.

“I could understand why someone wouldn’t want to take a summer course,” Beechwood-Hall said. “It could be money, or that they just don’t want to give up their summer to more school.”

The administration hopes to continue to offer summer courses, according to Bone.

“I’m sure we [administration] will continue to offer the courses because they have been very popular,” Bone said. ”We’ll have to wait and see about offering additional courses. It sometimes depends upon what courses students would like to see offered.”