Bonita Vista High (BVH) International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator Jared Phelps and Multimedia and Career Technical Education teacher Hugo Martinez have strived to build onto the Visual and Performing Arts program. A new IB Film class is in the process of being introduced for BVH students in the 2025-2026 school year.
“We’re currently creating a curriculum for this class, it is going to be part of the IB program. I went through IB training to be able to teach this class previously. I passed that training and it was very interesting and my goal is to make it an IB course for all students,” Martinez said.
Phelps and Martinez had previously worked on implicating a Honors Virtual Production class for BVH students during the 2024-2025 school year until they reviewed what the class entailed. They found that the Honors Virtual Production class curriculum would be covering similar content to the IB Film class. IB Literature HL 1 and Theory of Knowledge teacher Jason Good reflects on his experience from previously taking the course during his high school years.
“The class offers other visual art and that’s content our IB program has been lacking in. When I was in high school, we had a bunch of different IB art options and that’s one of the beautiful things about IB. We’ve stressed the high academic classes for so long that we’ve missed out on some of the entertaining fun ones,” Good said.
Throughout the years Good’s efforts to implement the class were confronted by setbacks as other programs he managed clashed in his schedule. During the beginning of the 2023 school year, Good and Phelps had realized how involved Martinez was in multimedia and took the opportunity to advocate for the course.
“The district’s timeline on things shifted a little bit this year. I’ve been getting new IB courses approved by our school as the IB coordinator for some number of years. Eight years now and almost every year, I’m submitting more courses for approval,” Phelps said.
However, while attempting to get the class approved, they faced a struggling position of the timing. By the time the course was ready to be approved, the deadline had already been changed to a month before. Furthermore, the class wasn’t approved in time for the 2024-2025 school year and will be pushed to being offered for the 2024-2025 school year instead. During this time the course was set up and approved by the University of California (UC) system and is currently waiting for submissions.
“For the following year, what we’re [Phelps and Martinez] going to be doing is looking and talking to our district about when the deadline is. Essentially giving them the full curriculum for the IB SL Film course, showing them that it’s approved by the UC system, and getting their blessing there,” Phelps said.
The new class will be centering on the film production and more in depth with the filming industry. Martinez shares his insight as to what the class will be focusing on and the difference between his other multimedia classes.
“The class is more rigorous than the other [multimedia] classes, it has to do more with the international aspect of filming. It also has to do with a more in depth look at filming in general, or other classes on how to do more with skills and development of technical skills for the entire use in industry. This class is […] going to give the opportunity for students to learn the film industry in depth not only in the concept or context of the United States, but also worldwide,” Martinez said.
Moreover, in the 2025-2026 school year there will still be the Honors Virtual Production course and the IB Film SL. Yet, two classes will take place in the same class and time, students would be co-seated based on which course they wish to pursue. The further idea is for Martinez to cover all of that content for everybody and provide the journey of learning what the filming industry is all about.
“For me, the big takeaway is looking at things in our lives. We’re not used to looking at critically, I think we always see film as just an enjoyment and entertainment media. But when we start thinking about that, critical thinking can bleed into everything else we’re doing, and so I value that part of the class,” Good said.
The course presents students with the opportunity to experience more scholasticism based on the history of the multicultural experience that goes in depth when it comes to the art industry. Martinez has many emotions about the aspect of the history the class will obtain and the different style of teaching he will be doing.
“I am excited because I’m passionate for [the] filming, I’m passionate for the whole industry actually. Especially for movies and the value that they add content that can share so many cultures and can display so many situational circumstances and perspectives in life. [Which] is so amazing that I am passionate about it. I feel honored to be able to facilitate that towards students,” Martinez said.
Numerous faculty members and students eagerly anticipate the upcoming course, embracing its philosophy, along with the IB principles and teaching approaches to learning. The course will be preparing students more for college and the approaches when it comes to film.
“I believe that by teaching IB film, we will actually give our students a really robust educational experience, not only from the technical, but also the historical, or the appreciation for [the] different techniques that are used, the appreciation from an artistic context. It’s gonna be amazing for students, especially for that student that will not only like to learn how to create movies, but also will appreciate and see the value of the historical part of it,” Martinez said.
