Academy’s Annual Course Selection Begins

Every year in the beginning of February, the Academy girls must select their courses for next year. Choosing courses that you like and courses that will benefit your future can be very difficult. 

Gabriella Bahr (‘22) said, “Next year I think I am going to take at least three  AP classes which will be a step up from my one AP class this year.”

On Feb 4, every grade watched the course selection video in their advisories which went through all the subjects and the options you have within that subject. Then each grade level had a lunch meeting with guidance to discuss any questions they may have. Guidance discussed time management with your classes and how  the classes taken should have to do with the individual’s interest. 

College Counselor Kerry Keegan said, “Students should ultimately set themselves up for success by: choosing classes for which they have a genuine interest, challenging themselves by taking rigorous classes in their strongest subjects, and considering carefully how to have a good life balance of studying, outside activities, family time, and sleep. Students should always talk to their counselors, teachers, and parents, when crafting their schedules, for advice on what will be their ideal schedule.”

At the Academy there are various options of courses you can take, from the arts to computers to math and science. However, there are requirements. Every student is required to take four years of English, Math and Religion. Three years of science and language. Three and a half years of History. One semester of health and one semester of fit for life. But what course you take with these options is up to you. 

Eleanor Amoriello (‘22) said, “I’m taking more AP’s but not too many because I don’t want to be too stressed out my senior year.” 

For the next school year there are many new courses being offered. Film studies CP (10-12), Graphic Novels CP (10-12), Holocaust Lit CP (10-12), String Orchestra (9-12), Technical Theater Design and Production (9-12), Intro to Neuroscience Honors (11,12) and East Asian Studies CP (10-12). 

English Teacher Angie Leavens said, “I am very excited to be able to offer this course about the Holocaust. The class will be much like a book club/study where I plan to include texts like “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak; “Night” by Ellie Wiesel; “Alicia, My Story” by Alicia Appleman Jurman; “Maus I” and “Maus II” by Art Spiegelman. We will also look at poetry and film. The course will have four different units: A Brief History of the Holocaust, Survivor Memoirs, Perpetrators and Bystanders, Propaganda and Denial. The essential questions to really guide our studies are: How can literature help us to understand the past, present, and future? How does extreme suffering affect one’s perception of the world? Why is it important to study historical literature? Activities we do in the class will include discussions, film and text comparison/analysis, collaborative projects, response journals, and more.”

The school also announced the ability for summer classes for credit or for extra help. They are offering Art, Fit for life, Health for life, Chemistry, Geometry, Speech, Technical Theatre and Design, and Anatomy. They are also offering college essay writing help  for rising Seniors as well as writing bootcamps specifically for rising Juniors and rising Seniors. 

Angie Prince (’21) said, “I would tell the underclassmen to balance out their schedule. You don’t have to take every AP offered to get into the college you want to get into.”