Chemistry is taking on a new look next year — AP and IB Chem are combining into a singular course. 

Three school years ago, Northwest had Jennifer Ancell as an AP Chemistry teacher, but since then IB Chemistry has been the only second-level chemistry course offered. This year, though, AP Chemistry was placed onto the list of classes students could choose from when re-enrolling. 

“We only had a small number of people signed up for both classes,”  Dr. Johnny Winston, current IB Chemistry and future teacher of the combined class, said. “So filling up both of them was going to be complicated.”

Only eight students are signed up for the course next year. 

Winston said that having enough students interested in the two classes has often been difficult. He attributes the lack of enrollment to the variety of other science classes offered at Northwest. 

 “We have AP classes, we have IB classes, we have career pathways at the CAA,”  Winston said. “And where and how to stack has always kind of been a challenge.”

Winston said that he doesn’t think that the course work for next year’s combined class will vary drastically from that of his current IB Chemistry class. 

“There is significant overlap between the curriculums,” Winston said. “Several people who have taken the course listed as IB have gone on and taken the AP exam.”