![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
On Jan. 19, students, from grades nine through 11, filled the main and auxiliary gyms in search of electives to take in the coming school year. The annual electives fair was held in the morning, ranging an hour long between first and third block. Students and teachers followed a modified schedule to ensure students had enough time to find electives of interest.
Senior Ginny McGee represented the Latin class booth. McGee wanted to convince others to join their favorite class and learn what it had to offer. “It’s not just about learning the language; it’s also about learning the history and the culture of the Romans,” McGee said. “We also learn a lot of mythology and grammar, which is really helpful for English. We learn a lot of vocabulary, and we also read these fun stories where a bunch of crazy stuff happens. Sometimes we’ll celebrate Roman holidays as a cultural learning experience, so we’ll throw fish into a fire and celebrate Vulcanalia, and stuff like that. It’s really fun.”
All grades were called down one at a time from advisory. Each grade had approximately 20 minutes to cycle through, in search of electives that they found interesting. They were able to ask questions to teachers and students hosting the stands and leave their contact information to receive updates and additional information about the elective.
While some classes that were represented at the fair are relatively popular among the student body, with a consistent amount of people taking it year after year, others have a hard time recruiting students. Less commonly taken language classes, for example, often struggle to find newcomers.
Senior Kalen Walker, the President of the German Honor Society, hosted the German booth. “I had a good experience,” Walker said. “I don’t think a lot of students were interested [in taking the class], especially since they were already taking another language, but I think for the ones already taking German, convincing them to go all the way to AP seemed easier.”
The electives fair provided students with an opportunity to find electives that interest them and learn more about the courses that are offered at Rock Ridge.
Junior Mimtaaha Kader volunteered at the Young Adult Literature table. Kader was excited about talking about the elective to interested students. “I think the fair was great for underclassmen because they could answer any questions they had about any elective they were interested in or were planning to [take],” Kader said. “They could also find electives that they didn’t expect they would find or be interested in. The fair was a great chance to broaden their horizons and understand what they want to take for the following year.”
