Unit 6 DVD

An American high school

This is Hawthorne High School in New Jersey. The school is about 40 km from New York City, on
the east coast of the USA. The school is for students from ninth to twelfth grade. Students start
Hawthorne when they’re fourteen and leave when they’re eighteen. At the end of twelfth grade,
most students will graduate with a high-school diploma and many will go on to college. There are
about fifty-six million school students in the USA. Some schools have over 2,000 students and
according to statistics, class sizes in the USA are going to get bigger. Hawthorne High is an
average-size state school with around 700 students. At 8 a.m. the bell rings for the start of the first
class. At Hawthorne, there are eight forty-five minute lessons, or periods as they’re called in the
USA, every day. There are also extra periods on Saturday mornings for students that are going to
take SATS. Students take SATS at the end of high school. If they pass them, they will probably go
to university. Between first and second period, the students have a five-minute registration period
known as ‘homeroom’. High school students have to study a core course of subjects, including
science, mathematics, known as ‘math’ in the USA, English, social science, and some physical
education known as ‘phys. ed.’. Students also choose elective subjects. They choose these subjects
depending on what job they’re going to do when they leave school, what subjects they enjoy and
what subjects they’re good at. For example, if you want to be an artist, you might choose art. And if
you play an instrument well, you’ll probably choose music. After fourth period, it’s lunchtime.
Most students buy food in the cafeteria, but others bring in a packed lunch. If the weather is good,
students sit outside to eat. Lunchtime is normally a relaxing time for students. Creating a strong
sense of community is very important in education in the USA. There’s an American flag, the Stars
and Stripes, in nearly every room of Hawthorne High. Students are encouraged to be proud of their
country and their school. The school team, Hawthorne High Bears, are very popular. This year
they’re going to compete in the local league and if they don’t win, everyone will be disappointed!
This is the student council. They are going to organize projects in the school over the next year.
They’re all excited because they predict they’ll raise a lot of money this year. They’re going to give
the money to charities and use it to pay for school events, like the prom.