Stonington ― With an increased student interest in career and technical education, marketing and business, Stonington High School is adding and increasing the availability of courses in these areas.

The high school will begin offering a newly consolidated hospitality, tourism, sports marketing and entertainment industry class each semester as well as introduce a new pastry and baking course.

High School Principal Alicia Sweet Dawe attributed the significant interest in both courses to enduring community interests, the intrinsic nature of the Mystic area and evolving societal trends.

“I think because of where our high school is, and not only Mystic, but also the history of Stonington, that plays into it,” she said, noting that most students work in Mystic, the largest tourist destination in the state, and their summer jobs are related to the hospitality, tourism or food service industries.

Additionally, she pointed to the influence of trends in social media and the school’s deep involvement and success in sports as drivers of student interest.

The new food and nutrition course, which will start next fall, will build on concepts students learn in two other cooking classes and introduce students to a variety of new skills.

Students will learn how to make quick breads, custards like crème anglaise and a variety of doughs including yeast doughs and pate a choix, a French pastry used for crème puffs and eclairs, among others.

In addition, the students will study plating techniques to make their culinary creations look as good as they taste.

The classroom was recently revamped to be more aligned with culinary school classrooms’ professional kitchens and provide students with a more authentic learning experience. The goal is to make students more prepared for internships, continuing education in the field or entry-level positions.

“The kids are up to their elbows, actively engaged in the class, and that’s what spreads, and the kids take interest in that,” Dawe offered as one reason the demand for culinary classes is so high.

The school will also be offering a new business course in the fall. The course, Marketing II, combines two existing classes which Dawe said have seen significant interest from students.

Previously, the Sports Marketing and Entertainment course, which focuses on sales, market research, pricing of collegiate and professional level endorsements and careers in the entertainment industry, has alternated semesters with Hospitality and Tourism, which focuses on industry standards, management, event planning and future trends, among other topics.

By combining them into a single course offered every semester, more students will be able to enroll in the highly-sought-after course.