Every student at Pioneer knows about the basic required classes: Algebra II, English 10, World History, and so on. But there are also a variety of classes that many students don’t know about–ones that range from learning how to design a website to writing critical film reviews, and even how to make a pie. This list is not exhaustive, but instead features just a few of the many exciting classes that not a lot of Pioneer students know about. 

Astronomy

One hidden gem class takes place during 1st hour in room D-107. This class is astronomy and is taught by Stephen Armstrong. Students in this junior- and senior- year class will learn about the history and physics of astronomy, the solar system, and stellar life cycle. “I think it is a fascinating field,” said Armstrong. “It is constantly evolving as we learn more about Astro-Physics and the universe around us.”

Culinary Classes

Pioneer’s Career and Technical Education department is home to many hidden gem classes, encompassing culinary-focused courses such as Multicultural Food, Baking and Pastry Arts, and Culinary Arts and Hospitality. All culinary courses are taught by former Executive Chef of Eastern Michigan University, Marilyn Suter. Baking and Pastry Arts, a junior- and senior- year course, focuses on both learning and experimenting. “Students learn basic cooking techniques, how to decorate cakes, and all about yeast and different types of leavening agents,” said Suter. 

This class embraces using locally-sourced or homegrown food, such as apples from the trees near the school’s visitor parking lot and clocktower entrance. “We (recently) picked apples, so we’ll start with pies, talk about (apple) varieties, and different ways to sweeten things,” said Suter. This class also offers an opportunity for students to give back to the school, as they normally help cater for the staff luncheon and teacher appreciation. 

Culinary Arts and Hospitality, on the other hand, does “more intense cooking, because you have to learn to make soups, stocks, and sauces,” said Suter. 

Multicultural Food, another class in the Pioneer culinary department, aims to teach students about the diverse range of food around the world. Students in the class will get to go on field trips all around the Ann Arbor/Detroit area to places like the Eastern Market, Mexican Village, Greek Town, Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market, the Underground Railroad, the Kris Kringle celebration in Chicago, and Frankenmuth. “Multicultural food is my ultimate favorite because I’m an avid traveler who has gone to 46 countries and territories,” said Suter. “You learn a lot of things about different people, and it’s a great exchange of culture.” 

These vocational courses all sport 24 students or less and take place in the kitchen area attached to the cafeteria. According to Suter, they are not high stress classes, and are more intended for enrichment.

Website Design

Website Design is taught by Brian Guastella. “In this class, students learn how to outline, build, and ultimately create working websites,” said Guastella. “Due to the nature of the material, this is a very independent course. Students spend most of the period working on assignments and projects.”  

This doesn’t mean that students don’t learn new skills, however. “Students will learn how to ensure they are starting with a solid layout, a blueprint, design a user-friendly content specific layout, and test to ensure workability,” said Guastella. “Topics covered include Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and advanced HTML features such as frames, tables, forms and check boxes, jif and jpeg files… HTML will allow students to process through the many different code writing languages more easily.” 

Plus, by participating in this class, students will get the opportunity to participate in DECA, a student professional organization, and will receive credits towards the Pioneer High School MBA Award. This class can also usually be taken in place of one world language credit or one science credit. 

Film

If students are looking to fulfill an English elective credit, a fun course to take is Film as Literature with Maria Montri. “Students learn about the history of motion pictures, some major trends in film and filmmaking in the early decades of the 20th century, and then study major genres of film,” said Montri. “We typically watch a movie a week and discuss the usual literary elements in addition to things specific to the audio-visual aspect of film. Students keep an ongoing viewing log of everything we watch and complete assignments related to individual films.” 

Montri says that students should take this class because “film and visual media are here to stay and it’s important to be able to watch things with intelligence and a critical eye… in addition, students learn a life-long skill in viewing a wide variety of movies and making decisions about the movie’s themes, techniques, and overall value.” In addition to viewing films, students “learn how to write critical review films, like you read in magazines and newspapers… which are a bit different than the traditional 5-paragraph essay,” said Montri. 

Law

If students have an interest in the justice system, an ideal class would be Law with Brent Richards. This class is offered for juniors and seniors during the second semester. “Law is a course (focused) mainly on our criminal justice system,” said Richards. “Students engage in lectures, discussions, projects, and when permitted, field trips and field experience projects.” He recommends that students take this class if they have an interest in “law, criminal justice, and wanting to learn more about their rights when confronted with a legal situation.” 

Argumentation

Last but not least is Argumentation with Russell Sansbury. In this class consisting of fewer than 15 people, students get a more personal learning experience. 

Students will learn how to “effectively communicate… make decisions based on logic and reason… learn to give evidence and explanation to support their statements, and to demand the same from others. They will learn to assess argument and evidence and identify fallacy and flaw,” said Sansbury. “They will gain an understanding of human communication both verbal and non-verbal. They will learn about articulation and enunciation and the different situations in which they change.They will be empowered by defeating fear and become better students, in school and in the world.” 

This class focuses on multiple aspects of argumentation, including different types of public address (impromptu, informative, sales, persuasive, argumentative speaking, and more), true argument, basic communication theory, and basic presentation. 

Why should students take this class? “Tell me a moment when you do not communicate or make a decision, and you’ll have the answer to your question,” said Sansbury.