This semester marks the second round of Westside’s new course, Intro to Criminal Justice, and the creator and teacher of the class, Otis Seals, is already making improvements to the class. The class is a survey-based course, encompassing a wide range of material from the role of police and correction officers to the future challenges the Criminal Justice field faces. Seals said that as the class has grown they are making additions to the curriculum.

“Last year was the first year we had the class and I was the only teacher for it,” Seals said. “This year it has grown a bit. More kids are taking it, so we added Mr. Brian also teaching it.”

Additionally, Seals said he has hopes to make the class more interactive and a better learning experience for students.

“Being the first year I didn’t have anything to go off of so I was kind of building the curriculum from the ground up,” Seals said. “This year we are spending more time revising things that didn’t go as well. My plans for this year are to find a lot more guest speakers from the fields to talk to the kids.”

Senior Skylar Allen took the course last year. Allen said she enjoyed the independent structure of the class and the information taught in the class.

“We learn a lot about the fourth amendment and general crimes,” Allen said.

Both Allen and Seals recommend the class to anyone who wants to take it.

“It’s a really interesting subject matter especially if you’re interested in that field,” Seals said. “Even if you’re not, it’s good for everybody to see how Criminal Justice systems work.”