FISHER — The Fisher school board approved additional high school courses for the next school year that begins in August.

The new classes include advanced placement U.S. history, psychology/sociology and statistics, which will be organized in a dual-credit partnership with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School, and a dual credit biology class. Dual credit means students can earn both high school and college credit for the courses.

The board also set high school graduation for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the high school gym.

Superintendent Barb Thompson announced an informational session for the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship of Effingham’s Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Fisher Community Center.

The program will be implemented at the high school beginning in the 2019-20 school year.

According to the Midland website, CEO is a year-long course designed to utilize partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes.  Local businesses would partner with area schools to create project-based experiences for students by providing funding, expertise, meeting space, business tours and one-on-one mentoring.

Students will visit area businesses, learn from guest speakers, participate in a class business, write business plans and start and operate their own businesses.

Students would learn business concepts through the experiential CEO class and would develop skills in problem-solving, teamwork, self-motivation, responsibility, higher-order thinking, communication and inquiry.

The Paxton-Buckley-Loda school district plans to participate in the program also.