Junior year is notorious for being stressful and difficult, and understandably so. Searching for colleges, studying for ACTs/SATs, and taking AP classes are exponentially draining. And with the course selection process under way, Junior year may seem closer than ever to our class of 2023.

But you don’t have to worry – you can choose your own coarse load and accommodate it to your own interests and make your next year of school as interesting as you’d like! So, Huntingtown’s rising Junior class, this article is dedicated to you. We gathered together a few of this year’s Juniors, and here is a selected list of classes that we are collectively taking this year. Accompanying our descriptions of the courses is our perspective on the many available classes. Herein lies our wisdom and sage words of advice. Good luck!

**Please note that that this article explores only a smattering of courses available to Juniors, and that not all mentioned courses are limited to your Junior year.

My Class Recommendations

• AP World History

AP World History is one of my favorite AP classes I’ve ever taken. Its course material is interesting and has expanded my view of the world. However, if history isn’t your strong suit, you don’t enjoy it, or you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to the material, I wouldn’t recommend taking this class. Like most AP classes, there is a lot of work to complete and it’s important not to get behind. Nevertheless, if you’re passionate about history and want to challenge yourself, you should absolutely consider taking the AP level of World History.

• AP Psychology

AP Psychology is a good first AP class to take if you’ve never taken one before. Learning about humans and the brain is not only interesting, but in doing so, I have learned more about myself. The class’s information is undoubtedly beneficial in every part of your life. However, if you are the type of student who struggles with – or doesn’t like – vocabulary, I would not recommend this course, as it is very vocabulary-dense and requires knowledge of many psychological terms. But if you’re still seeking a challenge, in a course you can personally relate to, this is undoubtedly the course for you!

• Honors Philosophy

Honors Introduction to Philosophical Thought is a semester course I have only begun and am already enjoying it a lot. It’s a nice break from the day, has little to no homework, and has a small group of students. The majority of the class revolves around participation, and you are graded daily on whether you vocally contribute to the class or not. With that said, if you dislike class discussions, or talking about ideas with no definitive answers, I do not recommend this course. Either way, I thoroughly enjoy this class, as well as learning about ideas and philosophies I’ve never considered before.

• AP Seminar

Taking a free period may be overlooked and deemed “wasteful” by some, but it saved the first part of my Junior year. If your schedule allows, I highly recommend taking a seminar class, especially if you’re taking multiple APs and extracurriculars. It’s unlikely you will study/complete homework assignments every day at lunch, and if you’re involved in extracurriculars, finding time to complete the giant coarse load that AP classes have to offer is difficult. Therefore, having a specified period of time to complete my assignments every day was one of the most useful resources of my first semester.

• Journalism II

Though this class is available to a small sum of rising Juniors, I would still highly recommend taking at least one Journalism course before you graduate – it’s never too late to join! With Journalism I as a prerequisite, Journalism II, in particular, gave me more responsibility, accountability, and leadership in my role in the school paper. This course is valuable for developing your writing skills and interests in the school environment around you, as you’ll be writing on the school paper. However, if you don’t like to write, you may not enjoy it as much. Nevertheless, it’s easily one of my favorite subjects I’ve studied in my entire high school career, and I can’t recommend it enough!

Next, let’s hear from a few more Juniors who are on different pathways and who are taking different electives…

• Joey Williams
  • AP Environmental Science

If you are passionate about environmental science this class will be quite beneficial to you, but if you are looking to take this class as an easy A, it might be a bit more labor-intensive than you would think. This class requires a lot of labs (which are usually product grades) as well as a lot of notetaking and process assignments. I would assume this class is a bit more enjoyable were we actually  in school, considering the number of field trips that you would be taking and the labs that you would be doing in school with your peers. Moreover, Ms. Rowder is a nice teacher and will definitely make sure you’re ready to take the AP test at the end of the year.

• AP Calculus

If you relatively enjoy math and excel at it, this class shouldn’t be too hard, and if you are taking it to push yourself, it will definitely be challenging at some points when it comes to understanding certain concepts, however, Dr. Mathew is a fabulous teacher, and if you are ever confused, he’ll be more than happy to help. On the contrary, there are frequent tests/quizzes, and you are given a limited time to learn the material, which can be difficult at times, but this is from the standpoint of taking this class during online school, so I would assume that having his class five days a week instead of two, would make it less stressful regarding comprehension.

• Marrissa Mozetta
  • CTA (Career and Technology Academy)

I recommend CTA for any students interested in developing technical skills outside of regular school. You can get college degrees faster and come out of CTA (a two-year program) with a certification in whatever course you want. This year I’m taking graphic communications, which is designing logos for brands.  Other options include such a wide range of subjects as Automotives, Cosmetology, Carpentry, Network engineering & Cyber Security, Electricity, Food Production and Management, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Home Improvement, Interactive Media and Welding.

• NJROTC (Navy Junior Officer Training Corps)

I recommend NJROTC for any student looking to improve their leadership skills, or anyone involved or wishing to be involved with the military. When not in the COVID season, we have been able to go on amazing field trips – even to other states – at least twice a year.

• Grace Sawyer
  • Yearbook/Journalism pathway

Hi, my name is Grace Sawyer, and I am the Editor in Chief of the yearbook this year! Journalism is one of my absolute favorite classes, I’ve been taking it for three years, and I’m going to take it next year as well. This class breaks you out of your shell and teaches you how to conduct interviews, write copies, take pictures, and gather important information, therefore improving your analysis skills. By taking this class, you can also work on completing the Journalism pathway, and this type of real-world experience looks great on college applications. You learn to work together with people in many different grades to create a book that the whole school will look at for years to come.

Journalism has brought me so many amazing friends as well, who I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t stumbled into Mrs. Trainer’s room freshman year. Another benefit of making the yearbook is having the opportunity to work with Mrs. Trainer, who loves everyone and is so understanding and kind that sometimes you feel like you’re in your home away from home. However, the one thing I would warn about would be the fact that yearbook or journalism is not a filler class. You will be expected to work hard and put forth lots of effort to create a tremendous book. Also, if you do not enjoy writing, photography and/or emailing and talking to people you don’t know, you will need to work on that in this class. Everyone in yearbook is so accepting and if you think it is the place for you, please don’t hesitate to sign up and join our amazing staff of passionate hard workers.

• Natalie Borowski
  • Latin

One of my favorite classes I have taken this year is Latin. Latin is one of those classes that you never hear about being included in the language program. I took four years of Spanish before this class, and I feel that it really helped me to progress further, as I already had some linguistic knowledge from years before. I highly recommend this course if you are looking for a language class for graduation requirements, or if you are just looking for an fun, enjoyable class.

• Human Body Systems/PLTW Biomedical Pathway

This year, I took Human Body Systems, which is part of the Project Lead the Way’s medical pathway. HBS is the second of the four-class pathway. I chose the biomedical pathway because I want to have a greater level of knowledge before going into college. Before I started this pathway, I wish I had known to start this my freshman year, seeing as I started the course my sophomore year, and have to double up on the last class for my senior year. If you aren’t willing to put the time into studying, or if you’re not interested in anything medical, I don’t think this pathway is for you. However, if you have an interest in the medical field and are willing to put in the work, I highly recommend you consider starting this pathway.

• Ryan Dickson-Burke
  • Theater/Performing Arts Pathway

Theater has been one of my favorite classes I’ve taken since my sophomore year. You begin with Theater I, then advance to Theater II, and then finally progress to Advanced Acting. Each class is designed to take you through the different fundamentals and history of theater. The class is really fun and gets you moving often; it’s a great break from a lot of the packets and worksheets that other classes assign.