CG Publications

Art

Name: Unique Reddy

Recommendation: Photography

"What I enjoy about photography is the aspect that you get to develop your own photos and watch as you get better with the help [of] Mrs. [Jackie] Fowler," Reddy said. "I like the sense of feeling accomplished when you get a photo that you enjoy to look super nice. Intro to Photo [is] focused on the basics of photography, like f/s and shutter speeds, and you mainly just do film instead of digital photos. Then if you wish to go to Advanced Photo you have four rolls of photos that you have to complete before you go into class, two rolls of film and then two sets of 32 photos of digital. After that it is all about photo editing and being able to take the perfect photo digitally. Mrs. Fowler is super nice, almost as a friend as long as you take the class seriously. She is one of my favorite teachers by far of the ones I have had. The cons are that this class is a little more expensive than other art classes, and this class can get a little overwhelming at times. If you are taking [the] class just to get credit and to fill a spot in your schedule then don’t take this class. If you actually have an interest in photo and are willing to try through the class, then take this class!”

Name: Zac Schneider

Recommendation: Visual Communications

“You focus on a different program for each semester [in this class]. Illustrator first, then Photoshop," Schneider said. "The class is set up where everyone is looking at the same Photoshop/Illustrator document, and the teacher will walk you through a lesson about a new feature in each program. Some pros would be that you get to learn multiple programs and almost every feature within each one, and all the assignments are done in class. One con would be that you only have creative freedom when doing 'projects' or the end of chapter assignments. I would recommend this class to those who want to learn the basics of Photoshop so they can expand in the things they learned with their own creativity in the future."

Name: Ella Brown

Recommendation: Fiber Arts

"Fiber arts I would recommend to anyone who likes taking art but maybe they are not really good at drawing," Brown said. "It's another way to express your creativity through other [mediums] of art. In the name it says 'fiber' art, so you weave a basket, you do batiks, [you create] silk paintings, so it is more hands-on 'crafty-stuff.' It's really at your own pace and you can create what you want, like we'll do a batik but you can do whatever you want in the batik, so you are not given the project to do you can put your own thought into it. It takes a long time to finish the projects usually because you're learning it as you're doing it."

Name: Riquel Cantleberry

Recommendation: Drawing and Painting

"It's definitely for people who are more serious about art; there's a lot of skill in there. Like friendly competition, because everyone is helping each other," Cantleberry said. "Like I said, it's for people who are more serious about art because there are several out of class drawings you have to do, so you definitely have to dedicate more time after school and during study hall. It'll really help you improve your art. [Art teacher Rick Jones] gives us a lot of freedom, which I really like, especially for the creative people. He will show us a technique of drawing and then he will [say] 'create whatever you want from this.' So, it's really cool if, for example, he has taught us different styles of painting and people will bring out totally different things: portraits and animals and crazy things, like body parts, but everyone uses the same technique."

Name: Hunter Burnett

Recommendation: Ceramics

"I would recommend Ceramics to someone who is creative or wants to pursue anything with art," Burnett said. "A pro is you can make basically anything you want in the class. In the past we had to do coil buildings, and you could do whatever you want with the shape or painting or anything to do with the design of it, but it just had to be in a primitive coil. And then we had to do a mask, and you could shape it however you want, however big as long as it was an actual mask that could fit on the face. People were doing some insanely cool things, like I saw skulls and an alien mask. I thought that was really cool, and you can just do whatever you want in the class. The con is that if you wear nice clothes they can get dirty."

Project Lead the Way

Name: Madison Schnurpel

Recommendation: Intro to Engineering Design and Development

Level: First Year

"This is the introductory course for the PLTW engineering program," Schnurpel said. "Generally taken by sophomores and freshman, it is a fun and riveting course. The first semester is focused on the basics of engineering. The creative and welcoming atmosphere allows students to develop a lot of the skills they need. Second semester focuses on using Inventor, a 3-D modeling software, and using the skills developed first semester. One of the fun projects of second semester is the reverse engineering project. Students are able to take apart an everyday object to figure out how it works, and must present their findings to the class. Throughout the year, there are 'instant challenges', where students work together to solve problems such as building the largest tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows. The class, overall, is exciting and an amazing experience."

Name: Greyson Terrell

Recommendation: Engineering Design and Development

Level: Capstone: Seniors only

“I enjoy that we are up to make the class be what we want it to be. We also get experience of what it is like to work in a group on a set project," Terrell said. "The only bad thing that I can see is the lack of resources because we cannot undertake larger projects or ones that would make a bigger impact simply because we do not have the manufacturing methods to do so. I would recommend this class to anyone who is planning on becoming an engineering major because it provides insight into the engineering world."

Name: Lexi Arteaga

Recommendation: Human Body Systems

Level: Second Year

“I enjoy that I get to learn about the body systems and how they are interconnected with each other," Arteaga said. "It’s very interesting! The pros to this class is very little homework, and interesting and exciting lab dissections. The cons are doing career journals. I recommend taking this class if you find the human body interesting and if you want to be in the medical field when you are older. Don’t take this class for an easy course just because it does take some work since you have to memorize parts of the body and know what you are learning.”

Name: Peyton Staab

Recommendation: Medical Interventions

Level: Third Year

“The best part of this class are the labs," Staab said. "The pros of medical interventions is that this class can help you in the future with college when taking a science class and having to partake in lab. The cons of this class are that there is lots of busy work and homework, and that the class can be hard at times, but it’s worth it. I recommend this class for those who are going into the biomedical field.”

Science

Name: Kaila Roach

Recommendation: Anatomy

“In anatomy and physiology, I enjoy days when we have labs and get to work with certain parts of the body," Roach said. "I thought it was super cool that we got to cut open a brain and heart, although if that thing grosses you out it probably isn’t a good class to take. The pros of this class are getting to learn about your own body and all the different parts and actions of it. The cons are how very detailed everything is, it is very hard to memorize everything and we move on very quickly. I would recommend that people who want to be in the medical field and want to work with the body should take this class. But if you're just looking for a class to fill your science credit then I wouldn’t choose anatomy and physiology. It’s a tough class and takes a lot of work!”

Name: Emma Franco

Recommendation: Zoology

“My favorite part is probably the familiarity and connections it has with other science classes/subjects I’ve taken," Franco said. "For example, Zoology correlates a ton with AP Bio, physics, and environmental science. It’s a Global Campus class, so everything is online. Pro is that you can do it at your own pace. Con is that I often forget to do it when I should. I would recommend it to anyone entering a STEM or biology-related major. I intend to be a vet, therefore this class gives a brief understanding of how animals and humans grow and develop within our environment.”

Name: Lauren Duffy

Recommendation: Forensics

"If you're thinking about taking forensics, you need to realize that it is an incredibly hands-on class," Duffy said. "We've studied forensic entomology by rearing maggots. We also learned how to properly photography and avoid contaminating crime scenes. We've learned about fingerprinting and we took our own fingerprints. We became familiar with fire arms and the different impressions they made and how a single bullet casing can help some a case. We also learned how blood spatter patterns can identify a murder weapon. It's not for the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach, you can see some unsettling things. Make sure you're headstrong and willing to put in work, but also have fun while learning the material. If you open yourself up to it, it will be a great class. If someone is thinking about the criminal justice field, medical field or even law, I think they'd get something out of this class. It's also a really great science course, so that may be attractive to those who need a credit but want an unconventional class."

English

Name: Miriam Barajas

Recommendation: Journalism

"[I would recommend this class to] anyone really who enjoys current events, writing, and interaction and writing with peers on different style news writing," Barajas said. "Pros: it's a great writing class, it's kind of an easy class if you really enjoy writing, it's fun to just pick topics and really invest and research and create a story and share it, plus we watch movies sometimes. Cons: it's a lot of writing if you don't enjoy that, but besides that nothing."

Name: Jessica Kelly

Recommendation: Media Arts (Publications)

"Publications is definitely not the class for people looking for an easy grade," Kelly said. "However, if you're willing to put in the work, there is no more beneficial and fulfilling class. Before I started, I did not even know what Final Cut was. Now, I can make a news broadcast feature in less than a day. I initially joined to improve my writing, which I did, but I also improved my design and story telling skills. I know for a fact that what I am learning is applicable, too, because my friend, who is majoring in Engineering in college, told me he almost called me for help when he was assigned a video project at Purdue. It is also so fulfilling to see my yearbook pages, news magazine spreads, website stories and CGTV videos published and enjoyed by the whole school."

Name: Julia Lawson

Recommendation: Mythology

"It's really just a fun class for you to learn something different and make friends," Lawson said. "A pro was definitely having Ms. [Dana] Bowling and just getting to do presentations for almost every unit and getting to be really creative with them. You get to learn about all the classic Greek and Roman myths, but in addition it was really cool to learn about myths of different cultures and religions like Norse, Celtic and Hindu. Another highlight was getting to learn more about the Trojan war while reading the Illiad beyond what you read in Odyssey freshman year. A con was probably that I could have used that space in my schedule for a college credit or AP class, but I was still glad I took it. It was definitely a highlight of my senior year."

Name: Olivia Buck

Recommendation: Theatre Appreciation

"Theatre Appreciation is the perfect opportunity for students who are looking for a dynamic, hands on classroom experience. Students get to read, analyze, and perform scenes, memorize monologues, study theatre history, improv scenes, and actually enjoy the entire process. There are an abundance of opportunities to be creative and collaborative. Theatre Appreciation revolves around performance and all things 'theatre' and there is rarely a dull moment."

Name: Lucas Boha

Recommendation: Etymology

"I do like [the class], it is fairly easy," Boha said. "It's mostly memorization. You increase your vocab and familiarize yourself with the English language. Class can be boring but it is just words so it's hard to make that exciting. Mrs. [Dana] Bowling is a great teacher."

Math

Name: Natalie Birch

Recommendation: Finite

"Any student who excelled in Honors Algebra and PreCal can do well in this class," Birch said. "It's a great chance to get ACP credit and Mrs. [Cindy] Heckel is super informative and helpful. The only downside would be that if you do take it for ACP credit, the grade will be on your college transcript, so it's just higher stakes."

Name: Clayton Johnson

Recommendation: Statistics

"Anyone who plans to go to college in general [should take this class]," Johnson said. "Pros are it helps to understand a different side of math that is different from anything I've learned. Cons are it's a harder class that challenges me to think differently than I usually would when taking a more regular math course."

Social Studies

Name: Travis Livermore

Recommendation: Sociology

“I love my sociology class! The class is a lot of open discussion and teamwork information which makes it enjoyable and engaging," Livermore said. "There is a lot of reading, so be prepared for a lot of small reading quizzes. I would recommend this class to Seniors who are looking for an interesting class to finish out their high school career.”

Name: Mikayla Lay

Recommendation: Psychology

"I never took regular Psychology, and I don't feel like I am struggling in AP Psychology, but it also depends on what kind of student you are," Lay said. "I will say, there is quite a lot of reading assigned, but the reading is short and comprehensive. The great thing is, there is a lot of application for what you're learning, so you don't feel like it's useless. Another good thing is the group tests. The amount of reading [can be a bad thing], though. Overall, it is a class I enjoy going to and learning in. I am glad I took it."

Business

Name: Andrew Harrell

Recommendation: Accounting

"The thing that I enjoy about accounting is learning about how it works," Harrell said. "I love learning about your paycheck that you get from your job. The class set up is you learn the material, practice, and more practice then quiz. Pros: You have a lot of time to do your work and you can use your notes for tests and practices. Not very many cons because you can ask for help anytime. I recommend this class to everybody because it's a thing you’re going to have to learn in the future, no matter what the job is. You need to know this to own your own business and know how to pay taxes and a lot more. It’s hard if you do not try but when you do try and care you'll be successful.”

Name: Anna Bauer

Recommendation: Personal Finance

"The thing I enjoy most about personal finance is being able to learn in a more interactive way. Between group projects and class games, it brings a better way to fully understand the concept of what we are learning and meet new people," Bauer said. "It's set up so it's really easy to follow. We use Canvas for everything so it's nice to have everything organized and you can always look ahead. Some pros are making friends, hearing different people's opinions on money, and learning how you'll be able to manage. Some cons are it can get confusing if you miss and it's not the most interesting material to learn, but it's really useful. I would recommend this class to anyone, especially freshmen and sophomores since those are the classes most approaching getting jobs and driving. Taking it as a freshman, I already feel that it's putting me ahead of the game.”

Name: Aaron Robinson

Recommendation: Marketing

“I enjoy the real world applications of the class with all of the projects we do," Robinson said. "Like whenever we learn about a topic there is usually a project to go with it that has to do with things that we will face in real life, so I guess it is preparing us for later. The class is set up pretty much like every other business class, we usually take notes out of class and then go over them when we are in class, and we do workbook pages, but the difference is the number of projects that we do. Some of the cons are that we do have to take a lot of notes, and the projects are worth a LOT of points so if you do bad on one it hurts your grade a lot. I would recommend this class to anyone who is thinking about going into business as a career, because it does show you many problems that happen in the real world. Even if you don't necessarily want to go into marketing, it sort of helps you make the decision if business is really something you want to do.”

Name: Briana Baird

Recommendation: Entrepreneurship

“Entrepreneurship is basically set up where you watch a lot of Shark Tank videos and do projects every week," Baird said. "Everyday you would do a bunch of questions and go over it in class. The class is a lot of talking and preparing you for actual job making where you have to talk a lot. It's a great class you can really work on terminology and [you] get to make up your own business. ”

Name: Seth Piercefield

Recommendation: Sports and Entertainment Marketing

”I enjoy that usually the topic we are working on is what is currently going on in the sports world," Piercefield said. "For example during NBA All-Star weekend we did a whole module on All-Star weekend. And during the NBA and NFL season we do things related to football and basketball. Some pros are that it is a very good mixture of marketing and gaining a solid business background and sports. It's not just one or the other. Everything we do has a purpose. Some cons are that it is a lot of work so if you don't have a good work ethic or do not work well with partners it might not be the best class for you. I would recommend this class to anyone wanting to to go school for business and people who enjoy doing projects on sport related things. You don't have to be an athlete to be in this class.”

Name: Sam Bauer

Recommendation: Computer Science

“This class is the foundation for all basic coding so that you can learn and further [your] knowledge of computer science," Bauer said. "In computer science, previously called C++, we obviously learn the ins and outs of C++. Really, anybody who is interested in technology in any way should take this class, whether that’s wanting to understanding the basics of computers in the increasingly technological world or wanting to major in technology.”

Name: Nikole Franklin

Recommendation: Web Design

“I enjoy the code aspect of html., some of it is pretty hard to understand and some of it is pretty easy to understand," Franklin said. "Usually in the class we start out with some questions about what we've been working on or [the teacher] updates us on grades or a project we're working on then we go from our tables to our computers and start working on a project or a review or we learn something new. The future is going to be full of technology and you get to learn how to edit things and arrange things on a website to make it look how you want it to. Some cons are that technology isn't perfect and things don't always go how you want and some of the coding is pretty hard to do and understand. I would recommend this class to anyone who likes working with computers and Photoshop.”

Name: Veronica Strange

Recommendation: Digital Application and Responsibility

“Digital App and Responsibility is a class in which you learn the basics of Word and Excel," Strange said. "The class is very online based. All of the work you do is on Canvas. From the beginning to the end of class, you work on multiple assignments from the chapter that was assigned that week. The nice thing about this class is that you don’t have to wait for your classmates to finish to move on. If you finish an assignment, you can automatically go on to the next one. If you finish all the assignments before the end of the week, then you have extra free time that you can use to do other homework or whatever you need to work on. The pros to this class are that you can do it at your own pace and if you take both Intro and Advanced, then you can get an official certificate from Microsoft that you are Word and Excel certified. This can look really good on applications and resumes. The cons to this class are that it can be very slow and there isn’t much change. It’s the same thing everyday, staring at a computer trying to finish assignments. It can be very slow and sometimes boring. I would recommend this class to anyone who is interested in becoming an expert in Word and Excel. I wouldn’t recommend this class to anyone who doesn’t have a good work ethic to get things done or people who can’t work well when thing get slow."

Family and Consumer Sciences

Name: Mackenzie French

Recommendation: Child Development

"I would recommend it for lower classes [freshmen and sophomores] who want a GPA booster or are really into the FACS program," French said. "My favorite thing was learning about the actual baby development, but my least favorite thing was taking home the baby. When you take home the baby, you think it is going to be fun, but it never is. I would only recommend it to people who are serious about learning about raising children.

Name: Kailee Bauer

Recommendation: Interpersonal Relationships

"Pros of this class is that you get to get closer with people and you get to learn more about yourself but the cons is that there's a lot of homework," Bauer said. "I would recommend this class to people who like interacting with others. I like best that we learn about relationships with others and can relate to them."

Name: Raya Al Jaibachi

Recommendation: Introduction to Fashion and Textiles

"I would recommend [Intro to Fashion and Textiles] for the people that have an interest in fashion and that would like to sew their own clothes," Al Jaibachi said. "I like the projects that turn any type of cloth into something we would wear. I have made PJ pants, hoodies, quilts, etc. What I don't like about it is that sometimes we don't get much of directions on what to do for the next step, but that's only in [Intro to Fashion and Textiles] Two."

Name: Isabel Burks

Recommendation: Nutrition and Wellness

"People that are interested in cooking or learning about food and people who want to learn how to be healthy [should take this class]," Burks said. "It's fun when we do labs and learning about health is beneficial. Labs can be difficult if people won't cooperate and sometimes days are boring but other than that it's fine. I like the cooking the most, and it helps me be conscious about my health."

Name: Kara Nussbaum

Recommendation: Cadet Teaching

"I would recommend that people who are interested in working in education should take [this class], as well as people who are interested in working with kids, because a lot of times you think you will be putting up bulletin boards and grading papers, but it's a lot more hands on: working and teaching lessons, as well as one-on-one instruction," Nussbaum said.

Music

Name: Rachel Chan

Recommendation: Piano and Electronic Keyboard

"It is a good class for a range of people- those who have studied music before or those who never had," Chan said. "It gives a really solid background for any music. Pros are that you can practice at whatever level you enter the class in. Cons: the class can get a little long and it has D lunch."

Name: Ashley Varney

Recommendation: Music Theory

"I would definitely recommend that anyone with some sort of musical background take AP Music Theory," Varney said. "You do go over the basics such as intervals and the circle of fifths at the beginning of the class, but it is a brief review of fundamentals that are used all year. Really the only con to the class is that it's first period and we often have most of the lights off to see the projector, so it's a little harder not to fall asleep. A couple things I enjoy about AP Music Theory are the times we do sight-singing as a class and having a student teacher. This class is different than all my other AP classes because the class structure is based around practice and aural stimuli, yet it is still effective in teaching me the material I need to know. We have lectures every once in a while, but some things we do on a daily basis are harmonic and melodic dictations (writing the music as you hear it), released AP problems, and review of a master terms list."

Name: Daisy Sutherland

Recommendation: Color Guard

"Color Guard is a performing art where we get to do a whole bunch of dance and we have flags, rifles and sabres and they're in the air a lot. I would recommend anyone who really likes performing," Sutherland said. "They get to [perform] with marching band and a group of people. For the class we normally do dance and we work on stuff for our show with our equipment, either flags or weapons. The cons would be it's fifth period and right after an hour and a half of class we go right in to almost a three hour rehearsal. I like being able to further [improve] my dance technique, because we do a lot of dance-based stuff, and being able to work on dance during class helps out in the long run."

Physical Education

Name: Adam Russell

Recommendation: Water Games

"I would say if you like to have fun, or you like to swim, take this class," Russell said. "Coach [Jim] Todd is a cool guy during this class and he lets you do some cool stuff in the pool with canoeing and jumping off the diving boards. Honestly, I don't remember any bad things about this class, it was all pretty great."

Name: John Huff

Recommendation: Team Sports

"Seniors who have heavy loads and want a period to relax and blow off some steam should take this class," Huff said. "It's a fun class where you play a variety of different team-oriented sports together. The only negative is that if the unit is on a sport you don't like, you have to play that sport for a couple weeks. Juniors can take this class too, but it's better to take your senior year so that you can lighten your load and have a fun end to your high school experience."

Name: Evan Suarez

Recommendation: Weights

"I would suggest that most people in sports take weights mainly because of the benefits that can play into your sport when you have a stronger body," Suarez said. "If you don't play a sport certainly taking it is a good idea, it's a good way to get active and stronger while meeting new people and spending time with friends. Some bad things would be that if people are not performing the exercise correctly they can injure themselves, so always make sure to have an expert, like Coach [Marty] Mills, help you out."

Foreign Language

Name: Blessing Culver

Recommendation: French

“I enjoy French because it is fun to be able to speak a language most people don’t know," Culver said. "The pros of this class are that there are lots of things in English that use French words, and French is a pretty easy language. The cons are that most people in America either speak English or Spanish, but French is the most common in the rest of the world. I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives."

Name: Andrew Castellano

Recommendation: German

"I would recommend [German] to someone who is interested in learning about other cultures, because even though the language is similar, the laws and social culture are completely different," Castellano said. "The pros: the teacher is great, she's really fun to talk to and nice to know. The language is pretty easy, too. If you put the work in and study, it is not really hard. A lot of the words are the same. It can be a lot of work, studying and learning a different language. There are some times we have to read articles and stuff and it can be kind of tedious. It's a really nice class to get to know other people who have a similar mindset."

Name: Alisa Adhikari

Recommendation: Spanish

"[This class is for people who] have an interest in Spanish, and enjoy giving presentations and actively participating in class," Adhikari said. "I like the teachers and the classwork is more than just worksheets. She tries to get you to use creative ideas for notes and presentations. Studying for it can be hard if you don't know the material. There's a lot of vocabulary and grammar that you have to remember everything from the beginning for the final. [However, it's] a challenging course to add to your resume."

Name: Elizabeth Kuebel

Recommendation: Chinese

"People who are interested in foreign languages and Chinese culture [should take this course]," Kuebel said. "Pros are that you learn about the language and culture, but cons are lots of studying and homework. I like most talking with other students and practicing what we have learned."

Art