South will offer a new Management and Leadership business course through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department in the 2025-2026 school year, Dawn Hall, CTE Instructional Supervisor, said.

After collaborating with business teachers to develop a framework for the course, Hall shared successful proposals for the course to the administrative and district levels at the beginning of the year. With the goal of offering South students access to as many unique courses as possible, the Management and Leadership class aims to focus on immersing students in leadership roles and styles, and practicing applications aligned with current business practices, Hall explained. In addition, the course builds skills in motivation, corporate responsibility, and inclusive practices, Hall added.

“[The course is about] fostering collaboration, problem solving, communication, and leadership capabilities,” Hall said. “What we are [trying to give students] is [an] opportunity for authentic experiences [in business scenarios].”

Three sections of the CTE course will run during the 2025-2026 school year, Hall said. The one-semester, regular-level course does not have any prerequisites, and is aimed towards sophomores, juniors, and seniors, since it is designed for more experienced students, Hall explained.

As student demand for new business classes has increased, the staff within the CTE department are excited to see how the class develops and performs next year, Hall explained.

By exploring leadership skills in a comfortable environment, the CTE course is designed to give students active experiences and to build confidence before moving into future situations, Hall added. After taking numerous business electives such as Honors Accounting, junior Jessica Wang’s interest in business and leadership encouraged her to sign up for the course.

“I look forward to learning more about leadership and being more organized,” Wang said. “I’m excited because I want to do something that has to do with leadership [in the future].”

The course’s goal is to allow students to learn about management and experience it in action, Business Teacher Mike Jones, future Management and Leadership Teacher, said.

“[As business teachers], we don’t want to be lecturing the entire time,” Jones said. “We want to have [students] moving around the classroom, doing different group activities, and testing out leadership styles in activities.”

The class will teach motivational strategies to communicate more effectively, Business Teacher Paul Syzdek said. Students will apply leadership skills by taking on a management role for a project and assessing it from a leadership perspective, Hall added. Students have the opportunity to examine examples from within South, District 225, their personal jobs, and local businesses, Hall said. 

“Through the course, student reflection will be important for growth opportunities, given their experiences and values, and their career pathway,” Hall said.

Skills learned in Management and Leadership can apply to any job in a student’s future, making it a meaningful course for anybody, Jones explained. Management and Leadership aims to prepare students for various roles and endeavors they will take on after high school, Syzdek said. 

“I love how much kids develop in [CTE] class and hearing back from them in the future [with] how the [CTE] class benefited them,” Syzdek said.