By Kathryn Roth, staff writer
Here at River Hill, there is a wide range of classes and electives that students can pick and choose from around this time of year since course requests for next year open on December 20th. For electives, students get a choice of some awesome classes they can take to fit their interests, different levels of art and photography, sports for life, journalism, or psychology.
Luckily for students, there was an electives fair in the Media Center this year on December 8th. Students who are enrolled in certain electives talked about what the class is like. A video was also played during everyone’s 3rd-period class that included a description and short promotion of most electives that are currently available. These are great resources to have for everyone, especially incoming and current freshmen, to give them an early feel for the kinds of classes they can take.
Sometimes students have a different impression of a class based on the title and description, rather than what it is actually like. Freshman Carolyn Zuback explains how art is very different from what she was expecting: “we have more freedom to create what we want. There aren’t as many restrictions.” Reading the course descriptions can be interpreted in so many ways. It’s just like the saying, don’t knock it until you try it.
Many students take electives that are more fun-based to ease up and balance their schedules. Junior Becca Tow is in a great situation because she is taking two dance classes that will benefit her in the next upcoming years. She beamed, “Mrs. Hennessie is an amazing teacher and I love getting the opportunity to expand my choreographing abilities.” She also spoke about the Senior Dance Company we have here at River Hill and explained, “we aren’t learning how to dance necessarily, but more how to choreograph and lead, which is a skill I can take with me to a possible future dance career.” Every elective you take can be beneficial in some way.
It’s great to have a range of fun electives to some more challenging ones to keep your day balanced because, in the long run, you can’t pick when you have these classes. In a randomly selected survey, 13 out of 20 students are enrolled in a language this year. Sophomore Shayna Safeer states, “Spanish is a class that I feel offers a great way to become more cultural and possibly help me if I study abroad.” River Hill offers many language classes that are a great option for an in-between class, as you are learning a lot of information but also have great teachers to make it inclusive and intriguing.
Putting aside the most popular electives, there are some hidden electives that not many people know about. Video production is one of these. Junior Keside Unegbu inputs, “I actually heard about the class from a friend and I wanted to understand what goes into filming things like movies and commercials.” Now is the time for students to find out who they want to be and use
these opportunities to possibly create a new side of themselves and discover new interests and possible hobbies.
ARL classes or career courses are a perfect way to incorporate your future plans into your high school career. It’s a great way to use the time you have in high school to students’ advantage. “I took Human Growth and Development because I received a packet of ARL classes and it seemed interesting and useful for my future,” states Shayna Safeer. “It’s cool to take a class that later could benefit me outside of school.”
Out of the big range of choices, any electives you choose to open up your opportunities and give you a chance to create your own path and progress in life. Junior Mahshid Koohpayeh elaborates on our school’s options explaining that “our school provides electives ranging from many different subjects that fit with any student’s interests.”
All possible electives are listed in the 2020-2021 Catalog of Approved High School Courses linked below:
https://www.hcpss.org/f/academics/hs-catalog-2020-21.pdf?01-23