At the beginning of the school year, students at Wiscasset High School were asked what they would like to change about their school. One of the requests was for different learning opportunities that went beyond the normal curriculum.

“In the answer to this request, the teachers have spent the last few months discussing and planning an exploratory learning week ... that we are quite excited about,” reads a letter from Wiscasset High School principal Cheri Towle.

The students have a huge range of options to pick from for their exploratory week classes, everything from college-level trigonometry courses to Latin dance, self-defense and sewing.

Many local members of the community have also come in to help teach the kids about career opportunities, including members of Chewonki, police officers and local artists, just to name a few.

Exploratory week is also a chance for students who need to catch up with their grades to do so by taking “intensive” courses in subjects they are struggling in. Students can use these courses to catch up on work and improve their grades to a passing level. Students who are failing in a course are required to take an intensive elective.

“It's a chance for students to learn outside the box,” technology integrator and student council adviser Deb Pooler said. “It's been very well-received by all the students I've spoken to. I have 25 kids in my ‘Rockin' Winter Carnival’ course and they are all very positive about this week.”

Teacher Mary Ellen Bell spent the morning of Jan. 22 teaching the course “Digital Distraction” to several students.

“We are looking at all the different digital tools we use in our lives. The students are creating three-minute iMovies to show who they are as a ‘digital native’,” Bell said. “I'm glad we included the eight graders in the project since they are starting high school next year, and soon the eighth graders will be at the high school anyways. It gives us a chance to collaborate with the teachers we don't know.”

Teacher Ben Clark has been teaching “How Sports Shape Society.”

They finished watching the movie “42” about Jackie Robinson, and discussed the lessons learned in the movies. They have also discussed the recent scandal involving the Patriots football team allegedly using deflated footballs during the team’s AFC Championship game.

According to Clark, he has a Steelers fan in the group who keeps bringing it up.

Teachers Ralph Keyes and Marguerite Rinaldi are both teaching Nordic skiing with students who have never been on skis before. With the help of a grant from Teens To Trails, they were able to rent a trailer from Maine Winter Sports Skiing with all the equipment needed.

They will be using the rest of the grant money to take the kids on an actual skiing trip later this year.

Exploratory week has been well-received by students and teachers alike.

Next week is the last week of the semester, where students will finish up projects and classwork, and the students who were behind should be caught up due to the intensive courses (there is no additional homework during exploratory week).

The staff of Wiscasset High School has decided to cancel all midterm exams as, according to Towle, “midterms typically bring stress to our students and in a proficiency based system where students learn at a different rate and in different ways, a single high stakes test is not the only way a student can demonstrate their learning.

“At Wiscasset High School, we are dedicated to finding multiple pathways for students to be successful.”