Over the past few years, several opportunities to take new classes have been made available to Mountain Vista High School students. One of the newest and most interactive classes is called Biotechnology. It is taught by AJ Deets, a Mountain Vista science teacher.

Added to the list of science classes, both students and teachers alike are excited to begin the new year with a lab-based class. “Our class is basically a group research class where we decided what we wanted to test and found a way to get it started,” Graham Carroll, 12, said.

With projects ranging from the basics of biotech to bacterial transformation, this new class has become a positive and inclusive learning environment for students like Carroll. “I feel that we get to bounce more ideas off of each other and end with a better product,” Carroll said as he reflected on his favorite part of the class.

Biotech I and II are research based and the students have a large amount of input on what direction to take the class in. “Deets doesn’t teach, but guides us on what we need to look up and helps fine tune our plans,” Carroll said. The encouraging and non-traditional approach of Deets has challenged and excited the students, as they are allowed to take the class in their own direction.

Biotech is currently working on testing the effectiveness of paint shields against microbacteria, and will continue throughout the year to find other experiments and research projects.