High school electives have been a student favorite since they were created. High school electives not only give students a choice on the classes they may want to take, but high school electives also give students a broader view of the different careers they can get into.

“I think high school electives are very important. High school electives are important because they give students a chance to take a break from the required classes such as math, English, and science. Electives also allow students to adventure and experience classes that they like and hopefully might want to turn them into a career,” said Chuck Pepe, HEHS hall monitor. “There are a variety of different electives that are offered here at HEHS such as fashion, autos, foods, journalistic writing, marketing, cinema, and more. The electives offered here are electives that may not be offered at other schools. That is why it is a good idea to take advantage of them.”

Electives are important in a high school student’s life for many reasons, one including that electives build a connection to the real world. With this experience, electives give high school students somewhat of an idea of what they may be into and what they may want to become in the future.

“I think electives are great. Actually, I wish I would have gotten more involved in the electives my high school offered; I would have changed some things in my life such as my career. Instead of being a math teacher I would have chosen to have a career in web design,” said Melanie Thomas, a HEHS math teacher.

Thomas added that all students should take electives because they can provide a taste of reality. There are a number of students who seem to have heeded this advice.

“I am currently taking two electives at HEHS, journalistic writing and foods,” said Kaila Magee, sophomore. “I chose to take the journalistic writing class because I love writing. The only thing I don’t like is the fact that we are graded on our writing. I like being able to express myself in writing without the use of structure.”

Magee did say that she enjoys both of her electives, but that foods is great because “we get to cook, eat, and it is not as specific as to having structure and tests.”

“I find myself participating a lot more within the electives I chose over the classes that were forced upon me,” Magee said. “I think this is because, I actually chose these classes and because I chose them, it fits in with what I like.”

Electives create growth in all students by helping them realize that there is more to the world than just math, English, and science. It helps students choose careers, meet new people that are interested in the same subjects as them, and it gives them a chance to enjoy school.