By Ethan Wang
Staff Writer
In an effort to expand the performing arts program, the Board of Education approved Theater Production I, a half- year pilot class incorporating various aspects of staging a musical. From acting and dancing to lighting and prop design, students can take the new class starting in spring 2026. This course aims to provide students with experience in both performance and behind-the-scenes production while earning elective credit.
“We’ve done musicals every year for over 60 years, and it has never been a class,” head of the Career Technical Education Department Elias Bourjeili said. “We thought that allowing students to receive credit for doing the musical would be a good way for them to get some elective credit.”
Theater Production I, part of the CTE Musical Theater Pathway curriculum, is an A-G College Preparatory Elective, meaning that students can receive high school credit and have it count toward college admission requirements.
“With this class, we can now offer more opportunities for different avenues of production,” Bourjeili said. “We can have people who come in and teach lessons on specific areas like choreography, costuming, acting or set design.”
The class is open to all students regardless of whether they have prior experience in the musical. It will be added to students’ schedules as an official 7th period elective class similar to pep and sports medicine.
“We’ll take anybody and everybody— just like usual,” Bourjeili said. “The only commitment is that you’re going to be in the musical. We want people to have a safe space where they can step out of their comfort zone and perform.”
The new pathway also connects the high school theater program with the elementary and middle school performing arts. The district aims to create a continuous avenue for students to build skills early and encourage long-term participation in the performing arts.
“The elementary schools already have theater programs and Oak Avenue has a class or club,” Bourjeili said. “But then students get to high school and there’s nothing. This pathway finally bridges that gap so students can start performing as early as first or second grade and continue developing their skills all the way through high school.”
While Theater Production I is only a half-semester class for the 2025- 2026 school year, the performing arts program plans to make it a full-year course and offer more courses beyond it to expand the Musical Theater Pathway. These future programs may include specialized workshops such as puppetry or tap dance, aimed at providing students the opportunity to pursue specific interests.
“What excites me most is the ability to offer more than what we already do and expand it into a full-year program,” Bourjeili said. “We can grow this program and create an awesome path for students to join the performing arts when they’re younger and continue all the way through high school.”