If you look around a chemistry class at MCHS, you can now see freshmen, due to the change in curriculum. Along with the new science curriculum comes three new science teachers excited about the upcoming school year.

In 2014,  Illinois adopted new science standards based on the Next Generation Science Standards. A team of MCHS science teachers collaborated with other districts to determine the best approach to science education.

“NGSS is a three dimensional approach to science education,” Ms. Donna Engel, Department Chairperson of Science and Music, said. “It is based on cross-cutting concepts, disciplinary core ideas, and science/engineering practices.”

MCHS teachers made the decision to flip biology and chemistry courses for the 2016-17 school year, meaning freshmen would be taking chemistry instead of biology.

“As we studied the standards, it became apparent that students needed a strong background in chemistry prior to taking biology. We decided to flip the courses so our students would be better prepared for the rigors of the new biology standards by having a general chemistry course first,” Engel said. “Our course is integrated with Earth Science standards so the course is Geo- Chemistry.

There are three new science teachers at MCHS this year: Robert Swanson, Melissa Susnis, and Ryan Maloney.

Ryan Maloney

He currently teaches Geology, Meteorology, and Space Science. Prior to teaching at Minooka, he has taught chemistry and biology, as well as Earth and Space Science.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be an MCHS Indian!  The students and staff alike have been very welcoming and friendly and I am very excited to be a part of the team,” Maloney said.

“The skills and knowledge that our incoming freshmen will acquire by taking chemistry will help to build a sturdy foundation for students to use to boost their way up to other branches of science.  All branches of science are connected in one way or another, and chemistry is considered ‘the study of composition of matter,’ so it makes sense that chemistry would be scattered about in every single branch of science in some form or another,” he said.

Melissa Susnis

This is not only her first year teaching at Minooka, but also her first full-time teaching position. She teaches Chemistry and Advanced Chemistry at Central.

“My experience here so far has been amazing. The staff and students here are all very nice people to be around and the other staff members in the Science and Music Department and in other departments have been so welcoming and helpful to me as a new teacher. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to teach here and be a part of the Minooka High School community,” Susnis said.

Susnis shared her opinion on how the upcoming school year will be.

“I think that the switch to freshmen taking chemistry instead of biology is going to be interesting because I think chemistry is traditionally regarded as being harder than biology. I think that chemistry just requires a different mindset and we will see how the freshmen respond. I think that it has the potential for great benefits to students,” she said.

Robert Swanson

He is currently teaching Freshman Chemistry and Junior Biology. He has lived and taught in South Korea for around three years, teaching English, science, and history. He previously taught at Neuqua Valley (Biology and Honors Biology) and Naperville North high schools (Chemistry and Honors Chemistry).

“The students are quite participative and eager to explore science, the teachers are helpful and support each other, and the administrative staff has done an excellent job in creating a positive school climate,” Swanson said.

“I think the switch will allow incoming students a better opportunity to make connections from the science they learn in freshman year to the science they learn in sophomore year. In my opinion, while all sciences are interconnected, Biology has a greater reliance on background knowledge in Chemistry than Chemistry does Biology,” he said.