The Black and White

By: Bridget Pouliot with photos by Will McColl

As Pilgrim High School officially hits day 80 of the school year, students have many things on their minds. Between the end of the semester, the upcoming flipped schedule (when morning periods become afternoon periods and vice versa), and exams, students are trying to end the semester strong. On top of this, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen also have to choose their schedules for next year.

There are many of new and exciting courses being offered in the 2025-2026 school year. From an out-of-this-world English 4 class, social media studies in multiple departments, and accelerated language classes, students have many options for classes to ensure that they both meet their requirements and take courses that interest them.

Last week, students attended an elective fair to learn about some of the course options.

English: “We offer opportunities for students to meet their full-year English requirement with a variety of traditional, honors, AP (included the newly added English 2 AP course), and college classes,” Mrs. Pouliot, the English department head, explained. “We also offer electives from Children’s Literature to Creative Writing to Film Studies.” 

On top of this, there is a new addition to English for seniors in the 2025-2026 school year: Literature of the Future. This is a class that’s been run at Toll Gate for a few years, and is now moving to Pilgrim, with Mr. Carlson as the instructor. It is based in reading and writing science fiction.

Click Here to see all English offerings

Business: There is a new class, called Finance 2, which will be taught by Mr. Dussault. Students must have completed and passed Financial Literacy as a prerequisite for this class. There are also two classes the business department want to promote: Social Media Marketing (taught by Mrs. Rafferty) and Sports Marketing (taught by Mr. Dussault).

Art and Tech Ed.: Launching next year is the class Exploring Digital Technologies and Social Media. This class focuses on “studying the influence of social media on people and developments within the world,” Mr. Cipriano detailed. He also explained that students in the class will also have the chance to create content using programs like Adobe Pro and Photoshop.

World Language: On top of encouraging students to stay in language classes for as long as they can, Mrs. Mather also wants to promote the French and Italian 1 & 2 accelerated classes. These classes are one-year classes where students take Italian/French 1 and Italian/French 2 in a single year, rather than the traditional two years. They are taught by Mrs. Lawrence for French, and either Mrs. Corpolongo or Mrs. Fava for Italian. 

Along with those classes, the department is also introducing a new course taught by Mrs. Farias; the class is New Spanish Heritage 2.

Physical Education: Accompanied by the required half year of Phys. Ed and health, there are many new and existing electives in the department. From Body, Mind, and Movement – a relaxed class surrounding yoga, dance, and Pilates that’s meant to relieve stress and prevent injury by stretching muscles – to Surving the Wild – a hands-on class based in survival in the wildnerness – there are many different choices for people who are interested in fitness and health beyond the required classes.

Click Here to see all Health and PE Electives

Math: There are two new courses the math department wants to highlight! One of these is Data Science, AI, and You. This course “provides students with an understanding of how data science and artificial intelligence create a need for diversity in healthcare.” It entwines Machine Learning (ML), a branch of AI, into the class to help students learn how it affects accuracy when developing models that drive research, development, and healthcare practices.

The other new math course is Intro to Cybersecurity, a class Mrs. Hudson trained in over the summer and is hoping to bring to Pilgrim. It teaches students about the “fundamentals of cybersecurity, including cyber threats, safe online practices, and basic defense strategies. Students engage in hands-on simulations, using hacker tools in a controlled virtual environment called the Cyber Range, to explore real-world scenarios such as network security and incident response.” Mrs. Hudson described, “No prior knowledge is required; this course is perfect for students curious about digital safety and the growing cybersecurity field.”

Click here to see more computer science offerings

Science: There are many options for science classes for students to explore and understand the world around them. Some of these options include Marine Science (which focuses on ocean sciences), Forensics (the sciences involved in crime scene investigations), Introduction to Bio Ethics (a class rooted in current and controversial issues in medicine and biology), and many other biology, environmental, and engineering-based courses.

Click Here to see all courses offered by the Science Department

Social Studies: Outside of the required social studies courses (World History, U.S. History, and Civics), the department offers a wide variety of classes. Some of these include Contemporary Issues (a class based in discussion surrounding major social, economic, and political issues), History of Rock and Roll, History of Rhode Island, Psychology and Sociology Intro and AP courses, as well as Genocide and Holocaust Studies class. 

Click Here to see all courses offered by the Social Studies Department

Be sure to talk to your current teachers about what courses you could take next year, and reach out to department chairs or other teachers to see what’s available; teachers and counselors want to support making the decisions that are best for you.