Class Ideas to Spice Up Your Schedule

Even though it’s not even 2025 yet, it is scheduling season! Scheduling season is the time of the year when you decide your fate for the next school year, no pressure, right? You’ll most likely be set with all your core classes – math, science, social studies, english, health, and P.E. But as you complete core requirements, you’ll gain more freedom to pick electives. If you don’t have any idea of what to take next year, don’t worry I got you covered with some pretty great electives to choose from.

Photography: You’ll learn how to use both film and digital cameras, as well as how to take better pictures! You’ll develop your film and print it in the Darkroom. This class will let your creativity run wild, as you can be as structured or “weird” as you want. I mean, check out the Art room and you’ll see a lot of awesome photographs taken by students. I would recommend this class to those who have a “creative itch” and to those who want to open themselves up to the creative process. They have days dedicated to taking photos, so you’ll have the freedom to explore the school through a lens. Moreover, you can apply these skills to phone or digital photography.. This would be especially helpful for students who like to take photos at sporting events, as it would build their observational skills, enabling them to enhance their photography skills and take better pictures. I’m sure you’re hyped about taking this class, but you’ll have to have taken Art 1 before you can jump right into it. If you’re hooked after you take Photo I, you could consider taking AP Photography.

Video Production: Run by English teacher Mr. Williams (don’t be fooled, he has a degree in film), this full-year class is designed for juniors and seniors, offering a hands-on experience where you can truly immerse yourself in real-world projects. In this class, you won’t just sit and listen—you’ll be actively collaborating with your peers on various video projects. Whether it’s filming a documentary, covering a sports event, or creating promotional videos for clubs, you’ll take on different roles like writing, filming, and editing. One of the best parts? Even if you don’t see yourself pursuing a career in film, the skills you’ll learn—such as project management, collaboration, and meeting deadlines—are invaluable no matter what path you take. You’ll be surprised how these experiences can shape your future, whether you want to become a filmmaker, journalist, or anything in between. Imagine the excitement of coming together to watch the premiere of your projects! According to Mr. Williams, last year, “our students had a fantastic time celebrating the launch of our first episode of OM-TV and showcasing a documentary at a film festival.” Joining the Video Production class means you’re signing up for an adventure that blends creativity, teamwork, and skill development. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and bring your ideas to life!

Sociology: After interviewing Mr. Loyola about this class, I became interested in this social studies elective. Sociology is the study of people, and Mr. Loyola summed up the class by saying, “We try to…understand…the rules of society through watching people…”. So if observation and curiosity are your thing, why not give it a shot? The class talks a lot about cultures and opens you up to see “…a different perspective… [it] kind of makes you see things that you haven’t seen before or thought about,” explained Mr. Loyola. He mentioned there isn’t too much reading and note-taking; he doesn’t want to flood students with work but rather focus on application—in the form of watching movies, studying the characters’ behaviors, and conducting social experiments in school. For example, He recalled one student who “…laid on the ground…people just looked… and then they just kept…walking…” Norm-breaking experiments to see the reactions of society are common in this class; I think it’s cool because it brings you out of your comfort zone and kind of forces your anxiety and overthinking to turn off. You’ll see that people don’t care, and that’s comforting coming from someone who constantly struggles with it (it’s me). Mr. Loyola reiterates, “We realize it’s all in our head, nobody cares.” If you’re a shy person and “…would love to be more social or know how to interact,” Sociology will push you toward that. It is also offered as a semester class, so it would pair nicely if you still need to complete your Health II semester requirement. Unfortunately, freshmen can’t take this class, but I mean there’s always next year!

The Business program: Ready to dive into the exciting world of business? This course is perfect for students who are curious about entrepreneurship and want to build skills that will not only help them academically but also set them up for success in their future careers. To kick things off, we’ll begin with the Principles of Business, where you’ll familiarize yourself with the essential terminology and concepts that form the foundation of business. Next, Marketing! This part of the course focuses on the art of persuasion and strategy. You’ll learn how to effectively promote products and services, understand what makes consumers tick, and discover what it takes to shine in a competitive marketplace. In Accounting, you’ll see that numbers don’t have to be scary! Here, you’ll learn how financial statements work, track profit and loss, and develop the skills to make smart financial decisions that keep any business afloat. Finally, it’s time to put theory into action in our Advanced Business section! You’ll have the opportunity to apply everything you’ve learned in real-world scenarios, run your business project (for example, the student-run coffee shop), and even compete with classmates to showcase your creativity and understanding. Whether you’re thinking about majoring in business or simply want to sharpen skills like public speaking and teamwork, this class truly has something for everyone. You’ll participate in fun competitions, gain confidence in your abilities, and collaborate with fellow students—all under the guidance of an incredibly instructor (Mr. Cutler) who genuinely cares about your success.

Unified Physical Education and Leadership: This class is new to OM as we just started offering this program this year. I happen to be in this class, and it’s a great way to switch things up, and Coach Speake (who teaches this class) believes, “…it’s a great change from the everyday sitting in front of a Chromebook…” to interacting more and enjoying different games. For instance, we’ve done soccer games (teachers vs. students), group workouts, “Walking Wednesdays” (where we walk outside on Wednesdays), flag football, and more. Additionally, you’ll gain leadership skills because you’re leading the special education students on what to do based on the teacher’s instructions. This fosters a sense of responsibility since I’m an example to the other students. One thing to note is that you do need your Lifetime Fitness credit before you can take this class. You can take this as a semester class and pair it up with Health or Sociology, or you could take it for a full year. Overall, this will be a great fit if you enjoy working with others and sports.

Journalism: Well, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t recommend this class; it’s the reason you’re seeing this article and the reason you’re holding this newspaper! Don’t be fooled by the length of this article—Ms. Moore won’t force you to write one. In fact, she encourages a ton of creative freedom! From sports coverage and comic strips to those puzzles you all love solving, street interviews, and even podcasts, there’s so much you can explore. We even partner with the video production team to create fun news segments! If you’re into photography, you can capture amazing shots for the articles too. It’s basically like having a job—collaborating with your peers, managing your projects, and interacting with editors and Ms. Moore. Since it’s a class about journalism, we talk about the news daily and what’s trending. If you’re more reserved, don’t worry—you can express yourself through writing or other outlets; you just have to contribute to the creation and production of the newspaper, and I’m confident you’ll love it!

There are a ton of electives you could take. Other honorable mentions include: Astronomy, Psychology, Ancient & Medieval History, Yearbook, Food Tech, African American Literature, and heck, even Teacher Aiding (for 12th graders). One important thing—and I think the most important thing—is to encourage other students to sign up for the class because that increases the chances of you getting to take it. So ask your friends or even random students to sign up for classes that you are interested in! A student posted QR codes all around the school, even taped one to his back, trying to get students to sign up for Music Theory. You could go all out if you’re really passionate about it! So that’s it; I’ve dropped some darn good suggestions here, so now it’s up to you. Good luck choosing, and I hope you have a great schedule for next year!