The most stressful time of year has arrived, as students are beginning to think about electives for the 2015-2016 school year. Luckily, Schreiber has an incredibly wide selection of classes to choose from. Electives give students an opportunity to either explore their interests or discover something new that they might find an interest in. Some of our school’s most popular electives include classes that teach psychology, art, and photography. However, there are also some wonderful classes that not many students are aware of. Some of these lesser-known electives include human development, architecture, and robotics. Even though these classes are not as mainstream, students who take these more unique electives seem to enjoy the experience.
But first, Schreiber has some relatively well-known courses that you may find fascinating. For example, the psychology courses, Foundations in Psychology and AP Psychology, are extremely popular among Schreiber students. In these classes, students participate in different experiments, learn about mental illness and brain function, and explore psychological theories.
“I like psychology because we learn why people act the way that they do in many situations,” said sophomore Claudia Hanover.
Also, there are several different standard art options available such as Foundations of Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, Advanced Painting, and AP Studio Art. The school also offers Sculpture and Fashion Illustration.
“Art in Schreiber is like a college level course, with homework and assessments,” said sophomore Logan Katz. “Although it is hard work, the end result is very rewarding.
Photography and digital photography classes are also included amongst the most popular courses.
“[Photography] has helped me discover a passion that I did not even know I had,” said sophomore Madeline Lavin.
While the better-known courses may seem more exciting to students at first, there are plenty of uncommon courses that should definitely be considered while planning your schedule. The human development elective at our school, which is available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, is one of these courses. This class is part of the Family and Consumer Science Department. It is designed to teach the basics in handling young children to students interested in having careers involving child-care, as well as students who hope to become parents someday.
“Besides doing classroom work, learning about the development of people from ages of infancy to school age, we go to Daly twice a cycle and student teach, which is a great experience to get to first hand watch the development milestones and learning of kids of different ages,” said sophomore Jessica Hyland.
Additionally, Schreiber also offers classes in architecture. This elective has three levels: Architectural Drawing 1, Architectural Drawing 2, and Architectural Drawing 3 Honors. In this course, students are given a chance to develop housing and building plans. They also learn to use Auto CAD, as well as how to create a portfolio of their work that can be submitted to colleges.
“We’re currently creating a model of the foundation of a building, and we use a program called Auto CAD to draw, so that’s pretty cool,” said sophomore Katie Oppenheim.
Creativity is not only fostered in architecture classes. Robotics takes this element and adds a competitive side to it. If you are interested in problem solving and mechanics, this class may be exciting for you.
“Mr. Schaeffer gives us a question challenge and then we have to build a robot to complete the challenge. It’s really cool,” says sophomore Yuval Philipson.
Learning something new can open your eyes to subjects you may become passionate about. The courses you choose can provide you with a foundation for the courses you would like to take in college. Or perhaps they will give you an idea for a possible future profession.
Everyone should carefully decide which electives they would like to take next year based on their individual interests and abilities. Be sure to attend
your scheduled guidance meeting well prepared! You should come with your first-choice classes as well as your second-choice classes, just in case the classes you are most interested in are full or do not fit in your schedule. As Schreiber students, we are fortunate to have incredible courses to choose from. Just don’t be afraid to choose some unique courses for your schedule next year!