After a year of absence, political science will return as a class offered for the 2012-2013 school year.

Political science is a social studies class in which students spend a semester in the classroom then participate in a spring internship with either a senator or government agency. 

Students have the opportunity to intern at the national, state, or local level of government in their community depending on the availability of time in their schedule.

Following student course selection of the rising senior class last spring, the social studies department was faced with a difficult decision when scheduling affected the number of kids who could sign up for the class.

“Unfortunately there were students who wanted to take the class but couldn’t because of their IB scheduling and such,” said social studies department chair Andrea Parent. “It’s all about finding time in their schedule both in and out of school and as a result we only had about twelve or thirteen students who had signed up for the class.”

With the sign up rate so low, the department had no other choice than to temporarily cut the class for the next school year.

“This was the first year we haven’t offered it in a long time,” said Parent. “We were incredibly disappointed to not offer the opportunity because it is a great and rewarding program, but we couldn’t afford to keep the class with the number of kids officially registered for it.”

However after course selection this past February, the future of political science seems brighter.

“We have about thirty to forty kids signed up to take the class this year,” said Parent. “It’s fantastic because the ties that these students make can help them in, or even after, college. They’ve created a window into future jobs just by participating in this program.”