Three new Westlake High School courses—Broadcast Journalism, Beyond AP Statistics, and Business ACCeleratoredu—were approved Nov. 15 by the Eanes ISD board of trustees.

Broadcast Journalism I, II and III will be offered to all high school students and will focus on interviews, video production and photography, Associate Superintendent Todd Washburn said.

“[Compared to other journalism courses], the class focuses on interviews and bringing video journalism more to life,” he said. “It really aligns with what’s been trending right now—using a variety of media to gather sources and get information out to students as well.”

Principal Steve Ramsy said the course helps fill the gap between high school and college that some Westlake graduates said they have experienced.

Beyond AP Statistics is a post-Advanced Placement course that combines classroom and project-based learning, Washburn said.

“We have a fair amount of students taking AP Statistics as juniors, so this [class] would help passionate students [to] explore and earn a deeper knowledge their senior year,” he said.

Business ACCeleratoredu is a follow-up class for students who have completed the school’s Business Incubator and allows students who have received their own funding to launch their own company, he said.