It’s registration season again!

Each January, students around Apple Valley High School migrate to the Media Center and begin to register for classes for the upcoming school year.

The 2017-18 school year ushers in a variety of new classes to choose between. From the English department to the FACS room, students have several new options for their schedules.

Here are some new classes to consider for the 2017-2018 school year:

Advanced Journalism

Those who are familiar with Mr. Martin’s Journalism class now have the option to improve on their journalistic writing skills with Advanced Journalism.

This class is being offered next year for students who have already taken the core Journalism class, or for students who are an active part of The Talon.

This class is for kids that have an interest in writing articles for the school newspaper. All articles written in this class will be published on the Talon’s site.

Students will be able to not only write articles well, but also learn the other trades of journalism such as photography, research, interviews, as well as article layout, focusing on a more advanced and professional style.

“I started this class so that I could allow students to learn beyond just the basics of journalism, not just the writing.” Martin said. “This also allows The Talon’s writers to meet every day, instead of just once a week like we do now.”

AP Mechanical Physics

This brand new Advanced Placement physics class is the first of its kind, as there has never been an AP Physics class here at AVHS.

According to physics teacher Travis Laurent, “AP Mechanical Physics is a course for students who are very interested in becoming engineers or entering any physics-related fields.

“This class is also heavily math based, so students should really enjoy calculus if they are interested in this class.”

This class is one of the more difficult AP Physics courses, so students should only take this new class if they are prepared to make and solve many mathematical equations. Students who plan to major in subjects like physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or aerospace engineering should consider taking this class.

ACT Prep Class

AVHS now offers a full ACT Preparation elective that allows students the chance to prepare themselves for upcoming ACT tests. Almost all colleges and universities look at the ACT as a requirement for admission, so this class is recommended to students that want to either increase their score or to just be prepared. This course’s main focus is to help students analyze test questions in English, Math, Reading, and Science, and also gives students test management strategies.

Intro to Teacher Education

Students who have an interest in teaching elementary school–or a career related to young children–now have the option to do so with Intro to Teacher Education. Students will spend a brief time training at the beginning of the trimester and will then be sent to a local elementary school to start working with the kids. High school and elementary students will meet daily and do activities, while some of the older students may help kids individually, whether with academic work or personal time. Students who are interested in taking this class must interview with Ms. Cyr in order to add the class to their schedule.

Acting

AVHS finally has an acting class!

This new class gives AVHS students the opportunity to learn the basics of theatre like character development, script analysis, as well as helping students’ concentration and stage confidence. Students will be reading scripts both in class and at home, and will also analyze characters and performances. Students interested in learning how to act, or students that want to join the AVHS theatre program, are strongly recommended to take this course for the 2017-18 school year.

Music Production

AVHS has offered Music Production for a few years now, but students have had to drive themselves to the School of Environmental Studies in order to have access to the proper recording software and equipment. However, next year Music Production has found a new home here at AVHS. This allows more sophomores and juniors to take this course now that driving is not a requirement. In this class, students will learn how to make music electronically, and record it using special equipment.

“I just think that this class is really fun and I am always getting great feedback from the teacher,” said senior Carter Schendel. “I think people who want to explore making music or those who have a real passion for music should take this class.”

With these new additions to the class list, students now have more choices than ever to learn and take courses that interest them.

Students that wish to sign up for these classes can head to the AVHS site and begin registration now; if students have already registered and would like to switch to one of these new classes, they can go and talk to their counselor.