Feb. 10, 2025
By Zahara Chowdhury
Editor-in-Chief
What do trade skills, author J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and podcasting have in common? They will all be addressed in the new electives available next year.
Students will make their course selections for the 2024-2025 school year from March 3-7, so get a head start on your course planning by learning about LHS’ five new electives:
Residential Construction Technology
Grades 9-12; Full Year: 5 Credits
The Residential Construction Technology course prepares students to build houses, complete plumbing jobs and install electrical panels.
This class is set to take place in the basement of the high school and will be taught by incoming teacher Mr. Morgenroth.
Director of Mathematics, Science, Technology & Music Ms. Leone said superintendent Mr. DeCorso proposed this elective.
“Mr. DeCorso came to me and [principal] Ms. Vuono and said he knew a teacher that would love to teach… four to five classes [of] hands-on trade school stuff,” Leone said.
She said the course is interdisciplinary, drawing on skills students have learned in their English, math and science classes.
“It’s going to be all hands-on, [as students] work together [for] problem-solving everyday life,” Leone said.
“The Lord Of The Rings” and Other Fantasy Fiction: A Historical Context
Grades 9-12; Full Year: 5 Credits
“The Lord Of The Rings” and Other Fantasy Fiction class will focus on the historical connection between Tolkien’s life and his storytelling, themes and world-building.
History teacher Mr. Tessalone, who is set to teach the course, said he proposed the class because he loves the trilogy.
“History teachers have been able to talk about literature by bringing in the historical connections behind it, and so that was my idea,” Tessalone said. “[Tolkein] was very much into history, and he definitely was into mythology, and I think that is, of course, an important part [of] history class.”
Tessalone said he plans to connect English and social studies within the curriculum.
“We’re definitely going to be examining world events, such as British colonialism and World War I, but… I plan on doing a lot of text writing, so [students are] going to compare different parts of text from Tolkien and write about it,” Tessalone said.
PHOTO BY IOANNA HANTZARAS History teacher Mr. Tessalone discusses former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs during his Advanced Placement U.S. History class on Jan. 30. Next year, Tessalone will be teaching a new elective titled “The Lord of the Rings” and Other Fantasy Fiction: A Historical Context.
He said he aims to assign movie reviews and reflections based on book excerpts. Tessalone said he wants to create a map of LHS’ campus inspired by the iconic Middle-earth map, which depicts a fictional continent in “The Lord of the Rings.”
Tessalone said his main goal for his students is to instill a lifelong interest in the trilogy.
“History teachers have been able to talk about literature by bringing in the historical connections behind it, and so that was my idea.”
“I did not read ‘[The] Lord of the Rings’ until college… so even if I have some kids who might even struggle to read the book or struggle to keep up, maybe they enjoy and watch the movies. Maybe they hit the book later on in life, and that, to me, I think is worth it,” Tessalone said.
Introduction to Podcasting
Grade 9; Half Year: 2.5 Credits
Introduction to Podcasting will immerse students in audio production, scriptwriting and more.
Business and technology teacher Mr. Aiello said he proposed this class, which fulfills 2.5 of the five 21st Century Life and Careers credits required for graduation, to appeal to what students are interested in.
“My own kids watch YouTube and [Instagram] Reels and a lot of stuff. At least [what] my son watches on YouTube is a podcast too,” Aiello said. “As opposed to fighting and telling you all, ‘You can’t be influencers, you can’t be this, you can’t be that,’ [I will give students] the tools to increase [their] chance of being able to do that.”
He said students will learn to use Adobe audio and video programs and develop storytelling skills.
“I’m far from a language arts teacher, but [I want] the kids to organize their thoughts, find a theme [and] find where they want to go with the story,” Aiello said. “From there, [students will do] the actual recording and then the sound mixing and editing, making sure it sounds crisp and clear.”
Aiello said he wants students to create a 45-minute to an hour-long podcast as a culminating project.
“I’m not big on giving a lot of parameters in terms of telling them what to focus on… but hopefully, [that will be] their final,” Aiello said.
Video Production and Web Design
Grades 9-12; Half Year: 2.5 Credits
The Video Production and Web Design course will expand students’ digital media proficiency through video editing and the creation of an online platform to showcase their work. It fulfills 2.5 of the five 21st century Life and Careers credits required for graduation.
Aiello, who will teach the course, originally proposed this elective to enhance the skills addressed in Intro to Podcasting. However, Intro to Podcasting is not a prerequisite.
Aiello said students enrolled in the course will develop strong videography skills.
“On top of the storytelling elements from the podcasting class, [students will] be setting up a camera, running a camera, processing the video, editing, cleaning it up [and] making sure everything looks smooth,” Aiello said.
He said he plans to assign various web and video projects, including maintaining a Google Site or starting a YouTube channel.
“I’d love a big episode at the end [featuring] individual videos,” Aiello said.
Entrepreneurship: Building A Restaurant
Grades 9-12; Full Year: 5 Credits
Building a Restaurant will introduce students to the food industry and develop their abilities as restaurateurs.
By the end of the course, which satisfies the 21st Century Life and Careers requirement for graduation, students will present a business plan and pitch for their restaurant idea.
Aiello said he proposed this class due to Lyndhurst’s proximity to top-quality food.
“Our own middle school has a gorgeous cafeteria for culinary arts, and… we [are close to] New York City. It’s a huge career path,” Aiello said.
He said he intends to lead field trips, including a visit to an upscale steakhouse.
“[Studets will] see how they lay the dining room out, see the kitchen, see why they do what they do and then potentially have a meal while we’re there,” Aiello said.
He said students should look forward to taking whichever electives they select for next year.
“The good thing about a lot of the business electives [is] usually the kids are passionate, and they come in [wanting] to work,” Aiello said. “Pick something that you care about and go in with a good mindset, and then everyone has fun.”