The time has come to choose your classes for next year, RAMS! If you didn’t catch wind of it already, there are three new elective classes that you will have the opportunity to take.
The first class you should know about is Creative Writing which will be taught by Mr. Felix who currently teaches 10th grade English. This class not only calls for short story and book writers, but also poets, songwriters, and other creative writers. This class welcomes any type of creative students, content creators, songwriters, and game designers who storyboard. This hands-on class will help any type of writer learn how to write or be more creative.
“We will be working on writing assignments throughout the year, which is gonna revolve around [small writings] within a larger piece, like a chapter of a novel, a short story, poetry, and the fourth and final unit will be writers choice,” says Mr. Felix.
Students who join this class can create what they’re most passionate about. This can include lyrics, game stories, scripts, etc.
The next class is the new Baile Folklórico class that will be taught by Mrs. Diaz, who teaches Spanish and AP Spanish Literature and Culture. Baile Folklórico is a type of dance that is a part of Mexican culture and tradition. Female dancers tend to wear long skirts and the male dancers tend to wear white collared shirts and pants. They also use props depending on the area of Mexico they are representing.
This class was started by the Baile Folklórico club, the Presidents being a QUEST senior Luis Chavez, and a QUEST junior
Savannah Martinez. Chavez turned this club into a class through his QUEST senior project.
This class will be super fun to take and dancers have the chance to perform in different shows with the Millikan dance program.
“The Folklórico class can be a fun environment, it’s very collaborative. Students who are choosing classes don’t have to worry if it is competitive. In Folklórico it’s just getting to know the culture and choreography,” says Chavez.
The final new class you can look forward to taking is AP African American Studies, taught by Ms. Boyd, a COMPASS economics and government teacher.
Here at Millikan, we are lucky to have Ms. Boyd who has agreed to teach this course so that our students have the opportunity to explore African American Studies in high school.
“[This class] is probably closer to a mix of AP Seminar and AP Art because we will be looking at many different sources from different periods. The first unit deals with early Africa and then the diaspora. So we will look at artifacts from former African kingdoms,” says Boyd.
In other units, students will also look at some writings from activists like Langston Hughes, screenplays, and other things contributing to African American culture in the U.S.
If you’ve already had a conference with your counselor, and want to update your electives, come to the counseling office by Mar. 15.
Tere Quezada • Mar 22, 2024 at 11:18 am
On March 1, 2024, News Editor, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives” In this article Walker structures her writing in a beautiful and organized way that makes it extremely clear for the reader.
First she opened with the new Creative writing class, then moved onto the Baile Folklorico, and finished off with the new AP African American Studies class. I appreciated the amount of detailed information that Walker incorporated into each of the classes. She included who will teach each class as well as what students should expect from each class.
Something that I also would like to applaud Walker for was the interview that she obtained for each of the classes. This provides a deeper insight into the class which could make it much easier for students to make a decision on the class.
One thing I wish Walker would have included in the article is a survey of students who were considering taking the class; this would provide students with the knowledge of the course’s popularity.
Ava Valadez • Mar 22, 2024 at 9:24 am
This article does a good job at describing the new electives for the 2024-2025 school year. I already knew that Millikan was going to offer Baile Folkório and AP African American Studies, but it was interesting to learn that the school is also introducing Creative Writing. Creative writing seems like a pretty common class, so I’m curious as to why the class is being offered just now. Otherwise, I really liked how Walker gives a good overview of each course, as well as who will be teaching the class. I also found it very interesting that Baile Folkório started as a Quest Senior Project and has now grown into a class. I do wish that Walker would have gotten some insight from students thinking of enrolling in these classes because I think it would have convinced more people to take a new class. On that note, what would happen if not enough students enroll in any of these classes? Is this a concern as of right now? Overall, I did enjoy reading this article. It was very informative and it makes me happy that all three of these classes are being added next year.
Isla • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:49 am
This article provides detailed information on three new electives at Millikan for next year. This article informs students at Millikan about the new opportunities they will have in their following years at the school. Walker includes quotes from the new courses’ instructors which gives the reader more viable information on the topic. I was interested in creative writing 1-2 as I have been looking for a class of this type and was planning to take it at the community college, but now I wont have to! The other classes that Walker so thoroughly describes will be a great addition to the courses already in place, as they offer cultural insight and will benefit the school’s overall enrichment. Walker’s construction of the article is very straightforward and informative, bringing to light three new classes that most would not know of without the article.
Louella Kingman • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:45 am
This article was great, it was very informative and well written. It was short and to the point, which I thought was good since this is a news piece. It made this piece easy to read and understand. The new classes next year are an important topic that students should be informed about, and including a piece about it in the paper was a good way to do that. Furthermore, I think all of these classes sound like great additions to our curriculum. AP African Studies and Baile Folklórico both sound like opportunities for students to learn more about different cultures, and creative writing sounds like a great class for people who enjoy and want to learn more writing techniques. Overall I think this article was a great part of this month’s edition. It’s good to learn about what is happening in out school, as well as learn more about possible opportunities for classes next year.
Eileen Vuong • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:44 am
This article is an informative report of the opening of new classes for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. The author provided a thorough description of each class which is a great insight of potential classes that students could consider and enroll in. This also includes the addition of quotes from teachers and students where opinions and thoughts regarding the class are shared. It’s very helpful that Walker describes what the teacher for each new class currently teaches to establish their credibility through their teaching background to get a hold of how students can effectively desire or desire to take the class because of the teacher or solely because of the subject.
I find it very nice that our school is implementing more classes that promote inclusivity and diversity. With Baile Folkórico and AP African American Studies, it provides opportunities for students to grasp and enhance their learning and understanding of culture and history. Although I won’t be taking any of these new classes, I’m interested to see and hear the development of these classes. These new classes will open more doors for students to develop their interest and passion.
Owen Waytas • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:43 am
I think this article covers a great topic as it is informative to everyone in search for classes to choose next year. Especially freshman and sophomores who might not know much about the options for elective classes. Promoting these new electives will also bring in new students to sign up for the classes which will help maintain the classes. Personally, I didn’t know some of these classes were available next year. The creative writing class is great for students who may be interested in expanding their writing skills. The AP African American Studies class sounds like a great class and I loved how the writer included quotes from the teacher, providing more insight on the class making the choices for next year’s classes much easier. Overall, I thought the article was a great read and I am thankful to receive this information about the newly available classes for next year.
Amanda Zorick • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:42 am
On March 1, 2024 Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives”. I was interested in reading this article because I had heard from Ms. Barragan (my counselor) that Millikan was inputting new elective classes and even though I do not have any room in my Senior schedule to take any of these classes, I wanted to learn more about them. I thoroughly enjoyed that the article gave some background to the classes after introducing them so that anyone who signed up for these classes would not go into them blind like many students do with the classes we are required to take. I also enjoyed that when each new class was first being introduced within the article, the name was highlighted. This made the format clear and made the article easy to read. I think the addition of a picture for the AP African American Studies class would balance out the article since the other two classes have pictures with their introductions. Other than that the article was clear, concise, and informative. Great job!
Anna Truong • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:40 am
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives”. Bhree Walker writes an article about Millikan’s newest addition to the long list of elective classes. The three electives that Walker writes about in the article are Creative Writing which will be taught by Mr. Felix, Baile Folklórico which is taught by Ms. Diaz, and AP African American Studies that will be taught by Ms. Boyd. Walker describes the new elective Creative Writing as a class where students “can create what they’re most passionate about” (Walker). The class includes small writings within a large piece. The Baile Folklórico elective is a class where students get to learn the cultlure and choreography rather than being in a competitive atmosphere. And lastly, the AP African American Studies class is where students can learn about early Africa and the kingdoms as well as look into the artifacts and more. Overall, Bhree Walker does a wonderful job at describing each of the new electives that are to be offered for the 2024-2025 school year.
Natalia Duenas • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:37 am
The article encompasses various examples of exciting courses that will be available to Millikan students next school year. By beginning her piece with a large flier of the Creative Writing class, Walker efficiently engages the audience while providing information as well. Walker first introduces her topic by providing an example of a new course. She then includes a testimony from the teacher, Mr. Felix, who will be teaching the class. This gains the reader’s familiarity with the new course and may actually convince the reader to take the class especially if they’ve been a student of Mr. Felix in the past. Furthermore, Walker introduces the other courses, Baile Folcklorico and AP African American studies. She provides an image of the two students who introduced the Baile Folklorico class to Millikan and a quote from the teacher who will be teaching the AP African American Studies class. Both work to establish her message of exciting news while simultaneously providing the reader with information. Ultimately, Walker efficiently informs her audience and uses effective strategies to engage them as well.
Ryan Harlocker • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:44 am
I found this article to be very informative considering the fact that smaller electives are less well-known because they get less traction. By educating the student population on new opportunities, I think it will be beneficial not only for existing students, but also for incoming freshmen.
Walker does a nice job of bringing light to more diverse electives and their purpose.
I feel that by providing more personal or cultural electives such as AP African American studies or Folklorio, this will cause students to form more interpersonal relationships with one another. Since these will be classes, I think the outcome of people joining will be greater, because oftentimes many people are more intimidated by cultural topics if they are clubs.
I also appreciate that Walker took into account interviewing the future teachers of these classes, which could potentially entice more students into joining because their favorite teacher could be running that class. In addition, getting a preview of what’s to be covered in these classes provide the students with much needed background on the topics.
Overall, this article is well-written and fills in any unanswered questions about the future opportunities at Millikan.
Caroline Gass • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:41 am
This article helps promote the new electives at Millikan and gives inside information on them. Walker included interviews from the teachers and students starting the new electives and added images to give the audience visuals. For example, from Mrs. Boyd we learn that “[This class] is probably closer to a mix of AP Seminar and AP Art because we will be looking at many different sources from different periods. The first unit deals with early Africa and then the diaspora. So we will look at artifacts from former African kingdoms.” This helps students decide if the class is right for them. It is also clever of Walker to highlight the electives in bold so the reader can jump to the one they are interested in. At the end of the article the reader is informed of the last date to update counselors with suggestions of courses (very helpful). Overall, this article is organized in an informative way and helps students decide if they want to add some of the new electives.
Kailyn Khamkhensouvann • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:41 am
Walker did a wonderful job informing the readers and providing insight that may aid potential members and students. Personally, I found the article informative as it allowed me to expand my knowledge on the new electives Millikan has to offer. Regardless of whether or not I decide to partake in these new electives, I am glad to have learned more about electives that may have otherwise remained unknown to me. The flow of the article is easy to follow as it acted much like a guide towards electives that may peak my interest. I found it especially helpful to read the brief synopsis on what each elective entails as well as quotes from those directly associated with them to provide varying perspectives from those well versed in the topic. Overall, the article was clear, concise, and informative. It helped me learn about electives I may take an interest in.
Vincent Madden • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:36 am
This article was very informative and a great way to bring attention to new classes that the Millikan student body doesn’t know about yet! I believe all of these classes are perfect additions to our school curriculum and great opportunities for students to learn and express themselves about new topics in new ways. The writer of the article does an excellent job in explaining what these class electives have to offer for any student interested in taking them. The added insight of the teachers in charge of these electives was very helpful and added a lot of needed details to the article. This article made me excited to what new electives have to offer and made me excited for future of electives yet to be made. I would definitely read more articles about Millikan electives, specifically some of the lesser known and less popular courses. I feel this would really give those classes a good opportunity and allow more students to learn about them.
Savannah Martinez • Mar 19, 2024 at 10:15 pm
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an informative article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives” to give a future insight of future electives that would come to Millikan. In this article Walker gives the reader more information of new electives like the Creative Writing course with Mr. Felix, the new Baile Folklorico class with Mrs. Diaz, and the new AP African American studies course with Ms. Boyd. The new Creative Writing elective calls for people with an interest in different styles of writing such as poetry and short stories. The Baile Folklorico class, once a club, will teach students dances from different types of regions of Mexico. The AP African American studies course will have aspects of AP Seminar and AP Art to teach students more about the African American community.
I praise Walker for bringing into light these new electives that are becoming available to students for the 2024-2025 school year. Walker directly gets to the point of the classes and a short summary of what students should expect if they choose to take these classes. Walker wrote this article at a very crucial time since most students are picking classes for next school year. This is great since many students did not get to see these new classes since many did not attend the elective fair.
One suggestion is elaborating more on the AP African American studies course. I think that in order to further enhance the article, Walker should use student interviews of students who are planning to take this course. By doing this, Walker gives students a chance to hear from their peers and hopefully to get more interest for the class.
All in all, Walker effectively gives out important information regarding the new electives that are going to be offered at Millikan this upcoming school year.
Erica Torres • Mar 19, 2024 at 8:16 pm
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives”. This article was focused on Millikan’s three new electives for the 2024-2025 school year, including Creative Writing, Baile Folklórico, and AP African American Studies. Walker wrote about the teacher involved in teaching each new elective, or students who have helped with its upbringing. Along with what’s the focus of the electives so students at Millikan can have a basic idea of the new classes to know if they have interest in joining. She interviewed the teachers and students on their rundown of the subjects. Creative Writing is made for any students who enjoy any form of writing or creativity with writing styles, as students work on different writing assignments throughout the year. Baile Folklórico is a dance in Mexican culture that will be taught to students, and was made into a class for next year by a senior as his QUEST senior project. AP African American Studies is a new AP course for Millikan that looks at different sources from different periods in time.
The spread of information from all three classes and its members allowed for students to feel informed about these upcoming electives. The article did a good job at getting insight into each course and using it to bring attention to the new opportunities students have to take these classes. I feel it would have been more effective if published sooner because most classes were already sent in and this could have helped students make a deciding factor. However, it was very informative and had a good use of quotes and information to supply the necessary information.
Phoebe Michalczak • Mar 19, 2024 at 1:35 pm
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives”. In this article she highlights the three new electives Millikan students have the opportunity to take next year including creative writing, Baile Folklórico, and AP African American studies.
This article shines a light on the new classes many students might not know will be available next year. Bhree does a great job describing each of these electives, giving students an idea of what they could look forward to if they choose to take one of them. Also, the input from the future teachers of creative writing and AP African American studies as well as from students involved in Baile Folklórico club provides an even clearer picture of what it might be like to take these classes for any students who might be curious. I think it is important that Millikan is expanding their options for electives and giving students more opportunities to express their creativity and learn more about history and culture.
Overall, this article is very helpful in providing information for Millikan students who might be interested in taking one of these new electives.
Samuel Figueroa • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:56 am
I think that it is very beneficial to students that Millikan will be offering these three new electives. I agree that the creative writing class will be very beneficial to students who enjoy that subject and who may want to pursue it as a possible career option. I think it will give students more opportunities to express themselves and to share their work with other people. This class will give students the opportunity to demonstrate their creative abilities.
While I would probably not participate in a Baile Folklorico class, I think it is great that other students have the option to do so. I also think it’s really cool that the school is incorporating more aspects of Mexican culture and traditions.
I also agree that having an African American Studies Class is a great elective to offer. As someone who is very interested in the history of our country and the world, I think this class is a great addition to the elective choices. I also think it will be very beneficial to give students an opportunity to learn history through the view of African Americans.
Kennedy Smith • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:26 am
This article introduces the three new electives that will be added to Millikan in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. These electives are a Creative Writing class taught by Mr. Felix, a Baile Folklorico class taught by Mrs. Diaz, and an AP African American Studies class taught by Mrs. Boyd.
Adding a creative writing class to Millikan’s curriculum sounds like a really good idea in order to help students with their writing abilities. The class seems like it will be more of an identpent based class according to Mr. Felix. He explains that the class is for any type of creative student who is interested in writing novels, short stories, poems, songs, scripts, and more. This class will allow for students to express themselves and learn how to do it in a more professional way. The Baile Folklorico class also seems like a really fun and creative addition to Millikan’s upcoming school year. This class will teach students about Mexican culture and traditions and will allow students to perform dances that they have worked on throughout the year with the dance program. This class was started through a QUEST senior project done by Luis Chavez along with Savannah Martinez. The two students worked hard to bring this class to Millikan and are excited to see how successful it will be. Lastly, the new AP African American Studies class definitely will be a hit at Millikan. This class will include lessons on early Africa and artifacts from African Kingdoms. Students will also look at writings and screenplays from activists to learn about different things from African culture that have been implemented into the U.S. The curriculum sounds really interesting and beneficial for students who want to learn more about African history.
This article is very beneficial to students who are making their schedules for next school year. It explains what these new electives are teaching and what they will be like. All three of these electives sound like they will be successful here at Millikan as they will bring awareness to new topics such as creative writing, Mexican culture, and African history.
Lucas • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:19 am
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 electives”. This article picks a unique topic to expand on, the new classes that are being introduced for next year. This article applies to a much larger audience due to the topic being very broad, applying to all students at millikan. This means that the new classes that were introduced will become better known, increasing the amount of students joining that class.
This article also describes each class to its full extent from who the teacher is, an interview, where it originated from, and what the class is going to be based around. This would help students confirm a decision on whether they want to apply to those classes. The article only holds one flaw which is the timing, applying to classes ended around a month ago which means it possibly too late to apply to any of the classes mentioned.
Lucy Green • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:16 am
This article did an excellent job of informing the readers about the new electives at Millikan, what they are, and who will be teaching them. This article is an excellent resource for underclassmen who are interested in taking new types of classes. I greatly appreciated the inclusion of quotes from the instructors of these new programs that further informs the audience of what to look forward to while taking these electives.
Because this article did such a great job of relaying new electives on campus, I would love to see another article dedicated to other classes students can take that may not be as popularized. This could include interviews with students and teachers who have taken and taught electives that they feel need more promotion. I recall taking Guitar 1-2 during my freshman year, and felt it was very enjoyable. Since smaller electives can also be very educational and fun, students could benefit from knowing all of their options.
Overall, I really enjoyed this article and found it incredibly informative. The quotes from the teachers but also information about what the overall classes will look like is very helpful for students choosing their classes. These electives seem like they will be very beneficial and enjoyable for the student body, and I wish I had more room in my schedule to take them. Overall, the author did an excellent job of informing the audience about the new electives being offered in the 2024-2025 school year.
Jonathan Gonzales-Heyer • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:10 am
This article was a very necessary feature piece for those students who may not have heard about these electives yet. I think that all of these classes will be very beneficial for and intriguing to students, and all for different reasons. Baile Folklorico allows us the opportunity to express our culture and enjoy ourselves while doing it, and Creative Writing allows us to express ourselves through our words and let our creativity flourish. I think that both of these will be great additions to the class roster here on campus. However, I believe that the most important of these classes is AP African American Studies. There is a large African-American population on campus, in our community, and our nation as a whole. This allows all of them and others to learn about their culture and become better, more accepting students, and later, citizens. Also, I love that this is an AP class, and as I am in QUEST, I believe that myself and many others in this pathway would benefit greatly from this class, being that it is an AP class and allows for much more learning. Perhaps this should be an elective or history opportunity for freshmen, similar to that of AP Human Geography. Thank you.
Harriet Jung • Mar 19, 2024 at 10:05 am
I’m so glad that Bhree brought to attention these new electives! She did a great job summarizing what the classes were about and inviting students to take them. It was also smart that at the end, she mentioned that in order to change classes, one had to go to the counseling office by March 15. This increases the likelihood that students will actually take these classes.
I’ve been thinking that I might want to take the creative writing class, so it was really helpful to hear more information about it, as well as learning about other new electives. Bhree made the classes seem welcoming and interesting, which I’m sure they are. It was also interesting to hear the origin story of the Folklorico class. I hadn’t previously known that it came from a club and that a student made it into a class.
It was also interesting to hear about the AP African American Studies class. I think it was smart to include quotes from the actual teacher because this allowed us more insight into what the class included. Thanks Bhree for letting us know about these awesome classes!
Mya Ogden • Mar 19, 2024 at 10:04 am
On March 19, 2023, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives”. In this article Walker discusses the new class electives that will be offered for students to take. These clubs include Creative Writing, Baile Folklórico, and AP African American Studies. Many other Millikan students such as myself were not fully informed of the new classes that will be brought and to be able to take this article. The writer of the article does a precise job in elaborating and explaining to the audience of what these class electives consist of. The article was very informative and helpful due to the added insight of the teachers of these electives informing what the course will entail. As someone who has been questioning what electives to take for the 2024-2025 year this article was very informative to what these classes will be able to be taken. Not only does the writer give information about the classes that will be provided but also gives a clear and concise explanation about involvement. Overall this article is very well written and informative.
Samantha A. • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:56 am
This article discusses three new electives that will be available to Millikan students in the next school year, as well as what students will be participating in and working on during them. The classes consist of a Creative Writing class taught by Mr. Felix, a Baile Folklórico class led by Mrs. Diaz, and an AP African American Studies class led by Ms. Boyd.
This article is very informative and brings exciting news to many Millikan students. It’s always exciting to hear that there are new classes available to take, and therefore new opportunities. I’m sure many people will be interested in looking further into these classes and possibly taking them themselves. The writer constructs her article in a straight-forward yet very informative way, which makes it easy to understand and digest. This was a great article! 🙂
Kate Goldsworthy • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:45 am
I found it very interesting to learn about all the new classes that Millikan is offering this year, and even that students helped to get some of these classes created. However, I find it disappointing that this article was released weeks after many students had already chosen their classes. I know many students who were struggling with what classes to take in the upcoming year and this type of information would’ve been helpful. Additionally, I would’ve appreciated to find out more information about how students created the Baile Folklórico class since I have never heard of a student creating a class themselves. I would’ve loved to understand more information about the subject, since it seems very fascinating. I appreciated the quote from Ms. Boyd and Mr. Felix, who will be teaching some of the new classes, but I would’ve appreciated quotes from all the teachers teaching the new classes, such as Mrs. Diaz. By learning more about what the teachers have to say about the classes, it is easier to understand what the class is really about. It also would’ve been helpful to learn if there are any requirements to take these classes such as being in a certain grade or a prerequisite class. However, overall, I really appreciate this article that has allowed me to become more aware of what is happening at Millikan.
Allyson Richter • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:37 am
On March 1, 2024, Bhree Walker published the article “Introducing New 2024-2025 Electives.” The article highlights Creative Writing, Baile Folklorico, and AP African American studies, the three new electives being offered next school year. This article is very informative and insightful, giving students a good look at these new electives. This allows students to stay informed of any new electives they have the chance to take. By including quotes from the teachers in charge of these electives, Walker gives the reader a good look at what these electives entail. This allows the reader to gain a good understanding of the classes and therefore see if any class piques their interest. Sometimes it is hard to hear about what new classes are going to be offered, so this article gives students a chance to see if they are interested in these classes. If someone is already interested in Creative Writing or Baile Folklorico, Walker gives them a good look at the classes to see if they are the right fit. Thank you Bhree for such a great article.
Izabella Gonzalez • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:37 am
The article was well written and highlighted the three different classes in a way that blended them together for students to clearly understand them and the idea of having them on their schedule in the upcoming year. I enjoyed the way the writer got direct quotes from the creators of the classes and how they will play out in the next year, giving the idea of what one should look forward to if someone where to be interested in taking it. I found it very helpful how you gave background information on the topics of the classes such as the flokoriko class where you gave us the information of the dance and the tradition behind it. I also found the images you used very helpful as it demonstrated some of the faces of the classes and the poster where gave helpful information to look into the classes after reading your article.