Incoming freshmen are now required to take chemistry, a course which was previously offered primarily to sophomores and juniors.

Until 2014, freshmen took physical science, a class no longer offered at BHS. Last year, the transition began, as freshmen took biology as an entry-level course.

“The changes were driven mainly to create a more accelerated track for science,” Science Dept. Chair Lisa Bugenske said.

Bugenske feels that this change is for the best interests of students at BHS. The transition is intended to provide students with the chance to take harder courses, such as APs, earlier in their high school career.

“The change will make more room in students’ schedules for higher-level courses,” she said. “This means that they may be able to take AP Physics, AP Biology or AP Environmental Science as sophomores.”

Bugenske also said the change will help prevent students from having to double-up in harder science classes later in high school.

With increasing academic expectations nationwide, Bugenske believes the new curriculum will help prepare students for college. Even for more traditionally-tracked students, chemistry will help improve their maturity and skills to prepare for future AIR tests.

“Taking an AP course has been shown to increase success in college, as students gain experience with college level expectations,” she said.

To chemistry teacher Alex Paulchell, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

“With the current model, students are able to take courses like AP Environmental Science, AP Physics or AP Biology by the time they are sophomores, offering them college credit and building the quality of their academic work,” he wrote in an email.

Bugenske thinks that the science department has handled the challenges that have come from this change very well.

“The chemistry teachers have done a great job not only thinking about the needs of freshman in chemistry, but also adjusting to having multiple levels in each section,” Bugenske wrote in an email. “[They] spent many hours this past summer writing and making adjustments to the curriculum, including opportunities for re-assessment, re-teaching with Edpuzzle [online videos,] targeted extra practice and focusing on math and scientific literacy and a smaller number of focused content standards.”

In his first year teaching chemistry, Paulchell hopes to help the students as much as possible.

“I designed my materials for the course keeping in mind the needs of these younger students: reteaching opportunities, reassessment opportunities and stronger math supports,” he said.

Paulchell explained that chemistry directly relates to the math classes that both freshman and sophomores take.

“Chemistry is an applied math where students will build upon skills from algebra and even geometry,” Paulchell said. “For these underclassmen, they are learning the skills in algebra as we use them in chemistry.”

Freshman James Flowers is currently in chemistry and feels comfortable in the class.

“I think the transition has been easy for me” he said. “I know it’s a tough class but I feel that Biology has prepared me for chemistry.”

Flowers is a part of about the fifty percent of students in the freshman class who took biology in 8th grade.

Junior Joey Rogoff, also in chemistry, expected a little more difficulty in the class.

“It hasn’t been that big of a difficult adjustment. Coming from Honors Biology, I think it is easier so far.” he said.

Rogoff feels that being in a class with a majority of underclassmen is somewhat of a distraction.

“I personally think it’s difficult to take this sort of class with underclassmen,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to pay attention in class.”