3 Best Electives at LHS
BY LIANN MELENDEZ-Staff Writer
Of course it’s important to take the usual core classes, like Algebra and Biology, during your high school career, but let’s be honest it’s the electives that make the day worthwhile.
Unlike core classes, electives are classes specifically chosen by the students, and they usually are found apart from academic subjects. While electives are not necessarily a graduation requirement, you still receive credit for passing!
With the large variety of electives to take in LHS, it’s understandable why some students may get lost in the course selection guide and end up just choosing a class that sounds the coolest. For example, me with Psychology: Developmental and Cognitive, as it sure sounded interesting, but the workload was way more intense than I thought it would be, and by the end of the second week I was already looking forward to the end of the trimester.
Speaking from experience, the best way you can really enjoy your classes is by choosing right — and that means research.
Good thing the Lebanon High School 2020–2021 Course Selection Guide is already in the process of being sent out to you.
Now, if you can’t wait to see what the next year can offer you in terms of fun electives, consider the following options, as they were rated the top 3 best electives to take in LHS.
Visual Arts with Mr. Hibshman
Students taking Visual Arts will receive half a credit in Humanities for the term they completed. In addition, students will be provided the opportunity to develop communication skills through a Visual Art medium, aka AVPs, or better known as educational films to an outsider.
When speaking to Mr.Hibshmans’s students, they often mentioned his unique way of teaching, to which Mr.Hibshman replied, “I don’t want to be bored so a lot of what I do in class is to entertain myself and if my students find that entertaining that’s great…. I don’t wanna be bored.”
“Mr.Hibshman created a welcoming environment where he allowed us to express our creativity through art projects. Plus, his interactive teaching style really made learning fun.” — Eve Rohena, junior.
Ceramics — Advanced Methods with Mr. Topping
Ceramics — Advanced Methods incorporates all of the basic skills attained from the first part of the class, Ceramics — Hand Building, such as knowledgeable clay working and decorating techniques. However, as a continuation to part one, Ceramics — Advanced Methods will have students delve further into their personal style and help them gain more technical experience.
What is the most popular lesson taught in the class?
Finding the answer to that proved to be difficult for Mr.Topping, understandably so, since it’s like having to choose which of his children he loves best. Still, he managed to comb through 14 weeks worth of fun activities and decided, “The best lesson that’s taught is the Japanese tea ceremony lesson, in which students make their own chawan tea cups and then participate in the chanoyu ceremony. I think students enjoy this lesson because it combines art philosophy and cultural studies… and they get to drink tea.”
Creative Foods with Mrs. Marker
This food course is available for any student in 9th through 12th grade who is interested in the fundamentals of cooking and baking. Students also have the chance to learn the basics of budgeting, meal planning, and kitchen math, just to list a few.
As mentioned before, it’s hard to pin-point one exact moment out of the 12 weeks of having the class which event stood out more than the rest. Yet, when asked what is the most memorable lesson taught in Creative Foods, most students replied with either Cupcake Wars or the Chopped challenge.
Hearing those well-known Food Network shows be applied in a classroom setting definitely has me hooked.
Be aware though that these three electives don’t even scrape the surface of what Lebanon High has to offer. In fact, if I wanted to, the list of best electives can go on and on — and there are about 70 pages worth of them to go off of.
The key to making your school year a memorable and successful one is by looking through your course selection guide and picking a class that is right for you and fits your interests.
