The death and rebirth of A-West psychology

A-West will be getting a psych program much different from the one we have now.

Caius Krohnfeldt

A-West will be getting a psych program much different from the one we have now.

Psychology is a cornerstone of education not just in the United States but around the globe. Six percent of all undergraduates are psychology majors, making it the fourth most popular choice of major. For as long as many people can remember, A-West has cultivated an impressive psychology program for its students.  Now with the numbers of those students dwindling, A-West is making some changes to the psych program. Chief of which includes the removal of AP psychology and the replacement of its two prominent teachers, Mr Dipasquale and Mr. Wahl. 

Dipasquale was drawn to the study of psychology during his time in college, he says, “They’re some of the most interesting courses available, with some of the most interesting professors teaching them.” He has since taught the subject at A-West for the last 15 years. He is currently in his 20th year of teaching. Mr Wahl started teaching Psychology at A-West just a year later. 

Despite many changes coming to the program, Dipasquale wants to make it very clear that A-West will still have a psych program, just one that looks pretty different from the one that is seen now. The program will be called “Intro to Psychology” and it will be a concurrent enrollment course with Red Rocks Community College. 

Dipasquale says, “It’s essentially the same class I think. I can’t speak to what they will be teaching curricularly but it will be an intro similar to Psych 1 and 2.”  

Students that pass the course will receive college credits for their efforts for a class that is similar in difficulty to the ones already offered. However neither Dipasquale nor Wahl will be teaching the new course. Dipasquale says, “Since I do not have a masters in psychology, I am not qualified to teach the course in conjunction with red rocks.” 

Wahl is rumored to be retiring and so he will not be a part of the program either. The new course will be taught by one of A-West social workers, Scarlett Doise. Dipasquale is very excited to see where she can take the program. 

The new concurrent enrollment course will be replacing both Psychology one and two as well as AP psychology. Students enrolled in AP psych for the 2022-2023 school year were offered the chance to take the new course and according to Dipasquale, all but twelve accepted. Despite being a concurrent enrollment course the classes will still be held at A-West so attending these classes will require nothing special (unlike classes at institutions such as Warren Tech that require you to be a junior or senior to attend). Students who take the new course will be offered red rocks community college credits which are transferable to most colleges in the state. Counselors are available to answer any questions about transferring credits to the college you plan to attend. 

Despite not teaching psychology, fans of Mr. Dipasquale will be excited to know that he is not leaving the school. He will retain his U.S. History classes as well as his Government class. He will also be teaching a single period of wood-shop this upcoming year. 

The changes coming to the psychology program at A-West are certainly substantial. It will be quite different from what the school has seen in the past. 

Dipasquale believes that, “It’s a very unique and cool opportunity, and I am fully in support of it.”