Could you do classwork underwater? In scuba gear?

That’s been the reality for some of Gulf Shores City Schools’ high school students since being offered after school scuba diving lessons. The idea came from a few Gulf Shores teachers who are already certified divers and wanted to give their students the same learning opportunity.

Last October, Career Tech Director Jessica Sampley applied for a $15,000 grant to start up an oyster garden and scuba courses. Students who have already participated in the district’s Sustainability Academy, a program inspired by the BP oil spill that focuses on environmental protection, are the primary participants.

The course is currently only offered to high school students. E-learning takes place during the day to prepare them for after-school dives, which helps cut down the amount of time it would typically take for certification. Later on, students pick up equipment from the local dive bar and head to the water. Once skills are mastered within the pool, students get a chance to explore the ocean.

Read more Ed Lab stories: These Alabama schools were recognized as best in the state.

The course is $550 per student, equipment included. Sponsorship for one teacher and eight students is allowed, and students must fill out applications in order to be accepted. Currently, the course doesn’t offer any credit, but Sampley is hoping to change that.

“We were thinking this would be a great way to add some field experiences where the students can go,” Sampley said. “It would be a unique experience that students might not get otherwise and then we can, you know, think long term.”

The students work with PADI, the world’s largest dive organization, to get their certification. The first group of certified students took trips to Perdido Pass on Alabama’s coast, as well as Vertex Springs in Florida, to put their skills to the test.

Dive chart reading and math skills are vital learning components of the program.

“You have to do dive charts and learn how to read dive charts and calculations. So there’s some math involved and that’s not something always that students get excited about,” Sampley said, “but they understand, and are already thinking about how it could help them with their future career.”

Sampley also puts extra emphasis on making sure the students operate using the buddy system, and that they know what to do in case a crisis occurs.

“Safety is huge, you know, it really ties into our health science,” Sampley said. “We have a Health Science Academy also, and a lot of what the students learn is about how being underwater affects your body. Gas narcosis and decompression sickness are other focal points. And so, they’re learning all these. They’ll know how to be safe. It definitely adds to their knowledge of those things and how they can better, you know, help someone else, too.”

Thanks to a second grant Sampley received this year, middle school students ages 10 and up will be able to participate in scuba lessons this summer.

Here are a few other notable interesting classes being offered at schools across the state, some in partnership with local community colleges and technical programs:

• Huntsville High School: animation in game design
• Dothan High School: natural hairstyling theory
• Shelby County Schools: sports medicine
• Winfield City Schools: forestry
• Alabama Aerospace & Aviation High School: aviation and aerospace engineering