This is the first year that Poway High School and Palomar College have collaborated to create new and unique opportunities for students on Poway’s campus. The schools are starting up a dual enrollment program where students are enrolled in both Palomar College and their high school. Students can then take a class taught by a college professor.
The first cinema class was run on the first day of the first trimester and continued into half of the second trimester.
One of the classes they will offer as dual enrollment is Theater and Cinema Studies. They also offer Chicano studies, which is the study of Latino presence and politics. Chicano studies started up halfway through the second trimester and will continue through the third. These courses are part of a College and Career Access Pathway (CCAP) partnership.
“Students can learn more about the unseen history of Mexicans and the theoretical, historical and critical aspects of cinema,” AVID teacher Karen Kawasaki says.
Through these classes, students can acquire both high school and college credits at no cost.
To sign up for these classes, students need to have and maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and take a first-period off role in the first and second trimesters for cinema and the second and third trimesters for Chicano studies. The class is a college course, so therefore you need to take an off role to attend it. It will be during the first period everyday.
These classes are supervised by Poway’s AVID teacher, Karen Kawasaki-Williams. The classes will be held in her room, while a professor from the college comes in to teach during the first period. “I love being a part of this program. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students here and I encourage them to sign up for next year,” Kawasaki said.
Junior Sydney Schmalbach, who joined cinema studies first trimester, encourages others to take this class. In cinema studies, you learn the history and aesthetics of the cinema world
“I love to help and being able to support a show and learn practical skills makes this a fantastic experience for me. Not to mention the community is incredibly supportive and kind. It’s a wonderful thing to be part of,” Schmalbach said.
Students appreciate the opportunity to have more elective choices while acquiring college credits.
Junior Caitlyn Rocha, another current student of cinema studies, enjoys the class. “The class is cool. We get to have great discussions where we analyze the clips we watch, I enjoy it,” Rocha said.
