A new series of career-exploration classes is available to students across the district this year. These classes are built into the freshman schedules and are a part of “The Freshman Wheel.”

The wheel is similar to a mandatory classes like Focus, which freshmen are automatically enrolled in. Tualatin High is piloting the program and Tigard High hopes to implement its own version with the Class of 2024 next year.

According to a TTSD-released pamphlet, “ninth-grade students at Tualatin High School rotate through nine-week-long career classes designed to help students match their skills and interests with careers to help determine their future career choice.”

The wheel is built of eight classes that are intended to appeal to freshmen and some possible careers they aspire to take on.

Through forecasting last spring, incoming freshmen gave some input into what classes on the wheel they hoped to take and what careers they find interesting, and based on their feedback, they were enrolled into four of the eight career class options. The eight classes focus on one of these career paths: leadership, business, engineering, digital arts, early childhood education, construction, theatre and visual arts.

Ideally, one of the four classes truly sticks out, gives that freshman a better insight into what a career down that path would entail and inspires them to look more into it.

Associate Principal Marji Ruzicka, who pioneered this project, commented, “I am excited to see these new classes roll out this year.  The teachers worked last spring to create new and engaging courses that will give ninth graders a chance to preview different career field options before committing to a semester or year-long class.”

Ruzicka acknowledged that an issue for students in the past has been that they would enroll in a year-long course, but end up not liking it and were forced to stick with it. Now, with the Freshman Wheel, students will be able to partake in a greater variety of classes in a more condensed amount of time, allowing them to learn a greater diversity of skills that could benefit them in the long run regarding college and career options. She hopes the new program serves as more than just a rotation of high school classes, but rather gives students an edge in their future.

“The students just might find a class that leads them to a new passion they may not have considered in the past,” she said.