As the awkward and jittery freshman walks through the doors of Portsmouth High School on the first day, they debate how they will be prepared for their future. Here at PHS, the diversity of classes helps prepare students for whatever career paths they want to pursue.
Jaclyn Chisholm, a curriculum coordinator at PHS, takes pride in the different courses that PHS offers. Chisholm explained the process of incoming freshmen “mapping out a plan” before they enter their first year. She expresses the importance of “not shutting doors for ninth graders and wants them to explore their options and discover what they are interested in.”
The curriculum standards range in different departments. State and national guidance is overseeing all the courses. For example, science has its own standards and Career Technical Education (CTE) has rigorous standards to follow.
The courses are ever-changing to suit the student’s fundamental needs and interests. By offering a diverse range of classes and allowing them to explore, students can pursue college, trade school, the military, and more after graduating.
“It impresses me how deep a kid can go into a specific subject due to the depth of our curriculum. Many teachers outside this school are impressed with the amount of options that we give students and the depth of our class options,” Chisholm said.
Emma Jeffery, a senior at PHS, will be attending Cornell University next year. Jeffrey is looking forward to Cornell’s opportunities for study abroad, languages, and environmental science. Although her major is undecided, she credits her improved writing skills to Ms. McAllister’s Dual Enrollment Intro to Lit class and Mr. Duncan’s Physics 1 and 2 classes. After taking these classes, she’s inspired to explore a degree in Physics.
Jeffrey believes that more SAT Prep in flex time could be beneficial to students preparing for higher education. In addition, she believes guidance is limited due to only having one guidance counselor for an entire grade.
“In terms of support for the college process, I think what would be most helpful is if there were more opportunities to stop by and ask the little questions that come up. With only one college counselor for the whole school, it was hard to find times to get questions answered,” Jeffrey said.
Not only does the PHS curriculum prepare students for college/university, but they also prepare students for trade school. Liam Roach, a senior at PHS, plans on pursuing attending trade school to become an electrician. He debated either being an electrician or an electrical engineer. During his first years at PHS, he kept his options open and then committed to trade school after taking Pre-Calculus at the end of his junior year.
“I decided that I’d rather not do complicated math and sit at a desk every day,” Roach said.
If PHS can’t accommodate a class, they figure out a way to make it work. PHS counselors arranged for Roach to attend Dover High School for Electrical 1 and 2 classes. They also organized a paid internship during his second block.
“They gave me a sort of overview of what was going to happen at a trade school, with trade school covering the same topics and just a lot more in-depth. They helped me learn electrical theory, basic codes, how to wire devices, and how to draw and read blueprints,” Roach said.
The only critique Roach offers is the fact that not many students know commuting to Dover High School for a class is an option to explore. He wishes there were electrical classes for students to take at PHS, but appreciates the effort they put into his education.
Max Durkin, another senior at PHS, plans on attending the United States Naval Academy and then serving in the Navy. He has always known he wanted to serve our country. The idea of attending a service academy and commissioning as an officer didn’t come about until later, in his 7th or 8th grade.
“I discovered the Naval Academy in middle school while researching possible career paths in the military and found that it would be a great place for me so I set the goal then and have been working towards it ever since. I found that the Naval Academy offered a top-of-the-line education specifically in the field of engineering, which is what I want to study while still granting the leadership skills and character development that come with military service,” Durkin said.
Durkin asked the guidance counselors at the end of his freshman year if a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) was available, and although it was not offered at PHS, they sent him to Dover High School. Durkin participated in JROTC in his sophomore and junior years in the first block.
“In the class, I learned useful things like the basics of how to march, how to wear and maintain a military uniform, military chain of command, the orders of the sentry, and much much more related to military life,” Durkin explained.
Durkin, a three-sport varsity athlete and student counselor representative, credits sports and clubs for his leadership, organizational, communication, and teamwork skills which will prepare him for his future career. He also commented on the advanced Mathematics and Physics classes offered at PHS which prepared him for his prospective major of engineering.
Durkin feels that providing a JROTC program would “create more interest and preparedness of people going into the military.” Durkin also shares his experience of struggling to fit classes into his schedule while earning the required credits.
“For me, I wasn’t able to take classes like PE and Art my freshman year and those credits are required to graduate so I had to take them my senior year and it restricted me from attending JROTC again because of my other academic goals with my advanced math and science classes,” Durkin commented.
“As a three sport varsity athlete who works out on my own time, I find it a waste of time where I could be learning more useful things [rather than being] stuck in a gym class playing games and working out just so I can graduate. I think that PHS should give students more freedom to tailor their learning to what they will benefit the most from in the long term.”
Chisholm discussed the strong foundation of courses and the importance of continuing to make improvements to cater to students’ interests and needs.
For more information on various courses, career opportunities, and pathways please visit your guidance counselor or the Office of Curriculum for more information.
