(March 2, 2005) — Windows log-on music and the clicking of mice fill the room as students turn on their computers and swiftly start typing their latest lines of code. Such is the atmosphere in Clark’s newly offered class of web design. Thomas Martin, husband of senior English teacher Melanie Martin, said that the decision to offer the new class was a nearly spur-of-the-moment decision. Martin had been working in web design for about five years as a freelance web designer, and then later he started his own company. When he found out that Clark didn’t have a web design class, he immediately grabbed the opportunity. The class is designed to teach students the basics of web design. Martin said that he hopes that in the future there may be more complex classes of web design, which he would gladly teach. For now, though, the class focuses on the process of creating a simple website. Students use programs such as Notepad and the Scintilla SciTE editor at first. Then, as the year progresses, they will use more complex programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver MX. Students will also use Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady to learn how to compress images for the web. While students will be required to do a lot of little projects, the main project for the students will be to create an entire website. Students will create these websites as they would for an employer or a client, including formally presenting the site. There is no plan as yet to have students work on the clarkmag.net site, but Martin and newspaper advisor Chris Davis have discussed future classes working on the Chronicle website, www.clarkchronicle.com . In addition to designing websites, students will be studying types of websites and will learn about the web-designing industry. Although many of the students were transferred to the class after computer repair teacher Marlene Schram took a leave of absence, there are some who like the class on its own merits. “It was a little unexpected, being transferred to another class. But hey, I would have chosen it over the other class that was available, and it is a pretty cool class anyway. I mean it will be of use for my future hobby anyway, since I want to do web designing in my free time,” said sophomore Jonathan Jianu. Others, however, think the complete opposite. “I was okay with computer repair. Then Ms. Schram had to leave, and I was forced to go into web design. I mean, its okay, but it’s not like web design is going to help me later in life or on college apps,” sophomore Vardui Karaoglanyan said.