This March, when students signed up for the 2026-2027 courses, a new page was added to the front of the Program of Studies, with a bright red sticker marked “New”. Under this bold lettering was a list of the eight new electives and classes added to the ABRHS curriculum: AP African-American Studies, AP Art and Design, Creative Arts Capstone, Engineering Design, Jewelry Design, Popular Music Workshop, Python, and Robotics. These eight new electives are a sizable addition to the current course selection and greatly broaden the potential experiences high school students can partake in during their extra periods. From Social Studies to STEM classes, each elective focuses on unique topics and was adopted into the curriculum in a different way. Many classes are reflections of student interest and have taken a long time to officially add to the Program of Studies. AB has been preparing for some of these courses for a long time, according to administrators. “Lots of times, a course will be a couple of years in the making,” Ms. Vanasse shared. One example is the AP African-American Studies course, which the Social Studies department has planned over several years to add to the curriculum. It actually stemmed in part from the Understanding Race elective, a class with origins in student interest in race and identity concepts. The success and origins of the class led the administration to adopt AP African-American Studies. Students have approached administrators in recent years, asking, “‘If we have so many [other] AP courses, why wouldn’t we have African-American Studies?’” The district took the opportunity to add the course, also citing the APs growing popularity throughout high schools in Massachusetts (at least fourteen high schools are now providing the class). The class will act as an introductory course on the subject and will focus on important events in the history of African Americans in the United States. This student encouragement is an integral part of how the new electives were brought to AB; another student-interest class is Robotics. “We have many students involved in robotics outside of school…” Ms. Vanasse said, sharing that one of the goals of the course was to provide a space where “…someone just starting at it can learn.” These introductory skills will solidify understanding and provide a non-competitive, educational space for new roboticists. It already has over 150 students enrolled for the 2026-2027 school year, and the school has already hired a new robotics teacher to join in the Fall. Similarly, the debuting Python course will take the place of Java, previously removed from the curriculum, and will complement the current Computer Science course, according to administrators. “Computer Science is a yearlong intro course…” Ms. Vanasse said, clarifying that, on the other hand, “there’s a sense that Python is a really important language for students who want to go on in coding.” Student interest has been the leading factor in the new STEM courses for 2026, finishing off the list with Engineering and Design, a course included in the Junior High’s curriculum that finally made its way to the high school. The popularity of courses such as AP AfricanAmerican Studies and Robotics correlates directly with student enthusiasm and the ability of Acton-Boxborough students to influence the electives the administration chooses for the year.
Some of the new courses next year, however, were difficult for the school to provide, although some previously discarded classes are making a comeback. The AP courses in particular are hard to get a hold of because of their College Board requirements. “It’s challenging to fit in all the AP courses,” Ms. Vanasse explained. “The teachers have to go through a curriculum to be approved.” For both of the school’s new Advanced Placement classes, teachers have to be specifically educated on the curriculum they are expected to teach, and the school has to allocate time for the testing. The difficulty of fitting and preparing for these courses is one reason why there are often fewer additions of AP classes in high schools. And preparing for the courses isn’t the only issue. Besides just setting up for a class such as AP Art, which includes purchasing the necessary materials and providing teachers with the specific College Board instructions, scheduling and enrollment can still lead to a course’s abandonment. Scheduling, specifically, has caused some roadblocks for the administration. AP Art, which allows students to submit a portfolio in place of a written exam, has a class structure known as a Singleton. These courses are only available for one section of the school year and require that all enrolled students have the same open space in their schedule. Some courses, therefore, are simply cancelled before the year starts, due to a lack of student sign-ups. History of Pop and Rock met this fate and was cancelled before the 2024-2025 school year, but has been reincarnated into Popular Music Workshop, taught by AB’s Band Teacher, Mr. Soo. The class will retain the focus on pop music while allowing students a more creative outlet, a prime example of the recycling and mixing of classes that gives students as much elective diversity as possible, while verifying the effectiveness and popularity of these courses. The courses are meant to provide students with an innovative way to focus on their interests and relax. “We’re really looking for some hands-on courses…” Ms. Vanasse said of the art classes. “Instead of a free period, it might be relaxing to go make jewelry.” The jewelry-making class is unique in its complete nuance; AB has never had a jewelry class, but it will act as a creative, hands-on environment for students interested in 3D art. Finally, the biggest change in the art-based installations is the Creative Arts Capstone, an opportunity for students to freely practice any art form. The class acts as something of a free period, where AB’s artists, painters, dancers, musicians, sculptors, and other creative minds have a chance to practice their craft, while producing a final product and communicating with instructors along the way. These creative and artistic classes are going to be a comprehensive addition to the Program of Studies and will give students many new opportunities in fresh, unique fields. Each individual elective has its own unique purpose and story, and next year, students will have the chance to try all of them. Acton-Boxborough gives students the chance to pursue their own interests and find new areas. The ability to target these through school is foundational for the Acton-Boxborough community and inspires a rich diversification of career paths among students. The new courses the school will debut next year encourage this diversification of individual pursuits.
