BY COLIN HICKEY

Staff Writer

Oceanography, preveterinary medicine, basic Mandarin, biotechnology, contemporary Irish literature.

What do these courses have in common?

They all will be available for high school students in five school systems in central Maine starting in January.

That is the wonder of Virtual High School.

"This is about opening up opportunities for children that we can't afford to offer as a single high school," School Administrative District 47 Superintendent James C. Morse Sr. said.

Waterville, Winslow, SAD 49 and SAD 52 are the other school systems involved with the program, which is nationally accredited and uses only teachers certified in the disciplines they teach.

Virtual High School is based in Maynard, Mass., but the 326 online courses it offers are available to 570 schools worldwide, said Carol Arnold of Virtual High School.

Arnold said Maine is one of its best customers, with 26 schools already participating, not including the five local schools that will come online in January.

"Maine is a really hot area for us right now," Arnold said, "because there is a big need for it there."

That big need is about the struggle to offer specialty courses in a rural state that features relatively small schools and big budgetary concerns.

Morse said a school can't justify adding oceanography to the curriculum if only five students sign up.

But with Virtual High School, the number of students interested is not an issue because the expense is minor, Morse said.

Morse stressed that the idea is to provide elective courses local high schools do not offer.

Students would not be allowed to register for an online course the high school offers in the traditional classroom.

Virtual High School is not a threat to teacher employment in SAD 47, Morse assured his school board.

"There is no impact on our staff whatsoever," he said.

For a relatively slight fee -- about $1,800 per school system -- schools will get 25 Virtual High School slots for the spring semester, or approximately five per high school.

Morse said the logistics of how those slots will be awarded must still be worked out.

Andrew Haynie, a Messalonskee High School math teacher, will coordinate the program for the five high schools.

Meanwhile, another Messalonskee faculty member, English teacher Dave Boardman, is preparing an online course on new media journalism for Virtual High School.

"There are many ways of telling a story," he said. "This course will explore how those different methods will work together."

"It is really a long-term investment for the district to get involved in this," he said, "and an investment of my time, but it's something I believe in."

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com