As Marco Island Academy’s transition to a permanent campus launches, more opportunities begin to flourish all around. With the expansion, MIA should offer a variety of new classes that give students the ability to prepare for their futures post high school. The Wave student Editorial Board sees this as an opportunity to strive higher in our academics than ever before. When considering classes to offer, the application of relevance to student lives and futures becomes increasingly important.  

The Editorial Board surveyed the student body and has compiled the classes of highest interest. We have also taken into account the general feasibility including curriculum, teachers, and the success of past courses. 

Future Business Owners

Business, Travel & Tourism:

Marco Island is a constant tourist hotspot. From hotels to restaurants to shops, the students at MIA have learned to live with constant exposure to the island lifestyle. Whether it will be relevant in relation to current or future jobs for students at MIA, providing classes that cater to understanding the hospitality industry is important and relevant to adult life. 

One subject that is very relevant to the Marco Island area is Business management. For many students, their parents own or manage a business and are expected to act as the “next generation” and take over for them in the future. 

In the past, MIA has offered a dual-enrollment course on campus in partnership with Florida Southwestern State College that teaches students how to manage a business. The class was popular among juniors and seniors and was an easy way to earn college credit without having to leave campus. 

An alternative to offering dual-enrollment business management would be its AICE equivalent, AICE Business. This would give a different option to students working towards their AICE diploma that require a class in the Arts and Humanities category. The class focuses on the various aspects of a business, including marketing, managing projects, and accounting. This class would help students develop the skills to keep up a business on their own.

Similarly, AICE offers a Travel & Tourism class through their program, which would be beneficial to students who want to stay local after graduation and get involved with the tourism business in the Marco Island or Naples community. Those in the class will learn how to adapt to changes and setbacks in tourism’s flow, and how to deal with relevant issues in the industry. There is also a focus on creating an identity and image for a destination, which could mean that Marco Island could develop a new identity for its visitors in the future. 

Adult Responsibilities

Life Skills and Financial Literacy:

One thing many students find themselves missing upon graduation, no matter the school, are basic life skills. The majority of students can relate to the long hours of memorizing math equations before a test but still being unable to file taxes or understand financial savings. 

At MIA, we have limited offerings for those who are preparing for the workforce or vocational school rather than college – one of the few being Economics, which is taken in conjunction with Government. 

While Economics teaches about opening credit cards, paying bills, and “adult” financial responsibilities, there isn’t enough time to focus on all of the essential subjects students should learn since it is forced to share time with the Government course. There is also variation in curriculum for the Government and Economics course- some teachers add in elements of life skills education. These students might learn skills like interviewing or resume submission whereas other students lack that understanding.  

A life skills course could dive into adult issues, putting a more personal spin on things that may have been previously learned in Government and Economics. There could be more practice in budgeting, study in child and family development, mentoring to help students grow into better leaders, and activities to practice interviewing for jobs and other opportunities. Many teenagers can benefit from classes that teach them about the outside world, and how to be more productive and successful as an adult.

Creative Outlets

AICE Media Studies:

AICE Media Studies would be an interesting addition to MIA’s academic program, providing a class that delves further into computer and design-related topics. Marco Island Academy doesn’t currently offer a lot for those interested in technology, and Media Studies begins to fill that void. As time goes on, many jobs will be created for those in technological fields, and knowing how to use basic programs like the Adobe Suite will become increasingly important. 

Undoubtedly this would benefit the journalism and yearbook program at MIA, as students will gain a better understanding of software that will be useful for stories and pages. The addition of this course could act as a secondary class to boost the level of understanding in the media department as a whole. 

Chorus:

Another possible addition to the Marco Island Academy’s course offerings would be a chorus class. Chorus would offer students the opportunity to not only strengthen their musical skills but become a part of the school and greater community as a performer. As a general education class, students from a variety of academic placements can enroll. Chorus would help present MIA to the community in a positive light and can be used for local events. As this class develops over time, the chance of recognition, awards, and grants would heighten and give Marco Island Academy the chance for some real recognition. The chorus class could also act as a gateway to other, more advanced performing arts classes like Theatre or Design and Marketing, and higher interest in the AICE Drama class currently offered at MIA.  

Having the ability to take high-school lessons with you into the real world is a privilege that not everyone can afford. With the opportunity to implement classes like Business Management, the stigma that things you learn in high school don’t apply to real life will start to fade away. Learning life skills and allowing students to further explore their passions will pave the way for a better future for everyone. 

With the expansion, AICE classes provide a perfect avenue for success with the inclusion of diversity in its curriculum, ranging from maths and science, languages, arts and humanities, and interdisciplinary subjects. Considering the size of our school and its commitment to every individual’s success, the addition of a few new classes could be an easy adjustment to better suit our students’ needs.