As an outgoing senior, I have taken many, many classes at SHS. As I reflect on the classes I have taken over the past three and a half years, there are a few that have definitely stuck with me.
Here are a few of my favorites over the years and why I think you should take them.
1. AP Literature and Composition
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: AP Literature is one of the most valuable classes you can take here at SHS.
As a course structured very similar to a college seminar, it is one of the best classes to help prepare for college in the entire building.
Even if you are not super fond of reading, the skills you develop in this class will extend long out of the classroom. In an engaging, riveting classroom you will learn how to articulate your thoughts extremely well, how to analyze literature and academic collaboration with others.
“Continue to be exposed to literature…because, when school ends, those opportunities to just be exposed to and learn things we wouldn’t seek out on our own kind of end,” AP Literature teacher Laura Fitch said. “We spend 13 years and beyond and, then suddenly, you don’t have those opportunities. So I would love for kids to continue to take advantage of that. And, of course, I love teaching the class. [Ms.] Grondolsky loves teaching the class. And we’d love to teach more of it because we just love to teach it.”
2. American Sign Language
If you still need to fill your language requirement for graduation, ASL is a fun and creative class that goes so much far beyond just learning another language.
You learn in great detail about deaf culture and history in the United States. In ASL 3 during a unit centered around deaf art, called De’VIA, you simply create art reflective of the deaf experience.
Because of these experiences, you can connect to deaf people and culture in your everyday life out in the world.
“Spoken languages are not always the best option or best fit for everybody,” ASL 1 and 3 teacher Emily Donley said. “If [students have] tried something like Spanish or French before and it didn’t quite click, ASL offers them an opportunity to try a second language in a second modality, meaning it’s not spoken, written or anything like that. It gives an opportunity to try something else that might end up clicking with them. It is in the top three most commonly used languages in the United States, so they’re gonna find it really useful, especially around here.”
3. Ceramics
As everyone needs a fine art credit to graduate, many people take the many art classes offered at SHS such as drawing, painting, photography and more.
I think, out of all of these, ceramics is the most enjoyable.
You work a ton with your hands wedging, molding and pinching the clay. It provides much needed stress relief from the weight of the school day, and you get to create things that you will actually get to use.
From mugs, to jewelry dishes, to bowls and pots— you get to express yourself and your interests in the items you will get to place around your house and room.
“We all learn in different ways,” said art teacher Jennifer Thompson. “It’s hands on, some people learn three dimensional. It’s a way to relieve stress. It’s also a way to be able to express yourself in ways that you can’t in verbal communication. And, it’s just really fun.”
4. AP European History
If you love history, this class is for you. In AP European History, you explore the major movements of European society and culture that have taken place over the past 600 years that highly influence modern life today.
“AP Euro is the class that will get you ready for college,” said AP European History teacher Robert Rivera.
The class itself, while rigorous, is super, super fun. You do a lot of engaging activities over the course of the year, such as eulogizing Napoleon Bonaparte, visiting The Cleveland Museum of Art and wearing French Revolutionary cockades while some of your classmates act as spies.
The environment of the class is collaborative and lively, you definitely form a bond with the people in your class.
5. The American Legal System And You
I loved this class. The legal problems you encounter are so fascinating to research and discuss. Even if you don’t think you’ll enjoy law or don’t have any interest in the field, this class teaches you about many of the subtleties of the U.S. legal system that you may be completely unaware of.
At the end of the course, you take part in a mock trial with your classmates as witnesses, attorneys and jury members.
Additionally, all the tests are open note, making the class easy if you need a manageable class on your schedule.
As a whole, the class is wonderful. If you have an open class on your schedule next year, I would highly recommend you to consider signing up.
