There are some changes in store for Duval County students this year.
While the focus of the school day will remain on the core academic areas — reading, math, science and writing — high schools have expanded the number and type of electives high schoolers can now take.
It’s a change school superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti pointed out to students in the new culinary arts class at Raines High School today.
"We added a period, 30-minutes to the day. Some of you may be excited by that. Some of you may not. But it did allow you to have two electives, or at least one," he said
"It’s something we’re doing throughout the county, especially here at Raines. So take advantage of elective classes like this culinary program."
Joining Vitti in touting the district’s new attitude about electives was Duval School Board member Jason Fischer.
“We’re not just teaching them how to be a good chef, but potentially how to be a good business owner, how to open their own restaurant, and also we’re going to introduce them to restaurant owners," he said, adding that the class would instill an "ownership mentality" in students.
In addition to the new culinary arts class, Raines students can also take a digital media course which offers vocational certification in photography and video editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
