In a small school, it’s not often that students see new class offerings, but this year, due to the addition of a new staff member, Yutan students have four new options in the family and consumer sciences (FCS) department.
“New classes that I’m teaching include Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition and Interpersonal Relationships, which will turn into Independent Living at the semester,” new FCS teacher Harleigh Claussen said.
Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences is a full-year class that provides an overview of all areas of FCS, including topics such as goal setting, child development, nutrition, basic cooking skills and childcare.
“It’s designed to give students the foundational knowledge of FCS and offer them a lot of different topics,” Claussen said.
This class is open to students of all grade levels but may most benefit younger students.
“I especially recommend FCS for freshmen and sophomores, as it’s a great starting point in family and consumer sciences,” Claussen said.
Students in this class work on projects and discussions that relate to real life.
“It’s fun because we actually get to do hands-on activities instead of just reading the whole time,” freshman Liliana Hancock said. “My favorite part of being in this class would be cooking.”
Another added class is Nutrition, where students will learn healthy eating skills, food science and how nutrition impacts overall wellness.
“In this class, we analyze diets, learn about different foods and study how food fuels the body,” Claussen said.
Students can learn about what they eat, read the nutrition facts and make smart choices when it comes to diet and their future.
“In Nutrition, we go a lot deeper into healthy eating and how food fuels the body. We also look at the science behind food and how nutrition affects overall wellness,” Claussen said.
One of the most popular parts of the class is that it’s hands-on. Students spend time in the kitchen learning how to cook and about food safety.
“I have learned so many skills, including knife skills and how to work in a kitchen safely,” senior Maddie Wilson said.
To join Nutrition, students must be a junior or senior, which is good preparation for living on their own after graduation.
“I would recommend others to take this class because I think it really prepares you for your future and how to survive by making safe and healthy food choices,” Wilson said.
The last new classes are semester classes. If students choose to take the class Interpersonal Relationships, students focus on communication, developing strong personal and professional relationships and learning how to overcome conflict.
“In Interpersonal Relationships and Independent Living, we focus on all things every student will need to know for their future, teaching skills that students are going to use for the rest of their lives, whether it’s managing their finances, maintaining healthy relationships, cooking nutritious meals or living independently,” Claussen said.
Students learn skills they can apply to all sorts of relationships in their lives.
“I’ve learned how to break up with someone and how to treat women with respect,” senior Gionni Conti said.
At the end of the semester, Interpersonal Relationships transition into Independent Living, where students learn essential life skills.
“Students will learn things like personal finance, housing and preparing for life after high school,” Claussen said.
In all these new classes, students are graded on content through discussions, reflections and quizzes.
“It’s fun because there are a lot of group activities that we get to work on with each other,” Conti said.
Since these classes are new, one challenge for Claussen is building the curriculum.
“We didn’t have the perfect curriculum for these courses, so I developed many of these materials by myself, but I also collaborated with other FCS teachers in Nebraska to borrow materials from them as well,” Claussen said.
Despite the extra work involved, Claussen is hopeful that students will gain many life skills from these offerings.
“I hope students walk away from these classes with the confidence to take care of themselves and others,” Claussen said. “In order to support your family, you have to take care of yourself first.”
