Emily Brand
News Editor
On Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. the honors and AP night was held at NCHS. This event was started to encourage students and their parents, to come and learn more about the different level courses that the high school has to offer. The night provided the opportunity to meet with honors and AP teachers, learn the course outlines and get specific questions answered from a panel of teachers.
Assistant Principal Ari Rothman explained that the night was really put in place to give students and parents a clear idea of what would be expected out of an honors or AP student. He stressed the importance of thinking about the decision that parents and students make regarding course selection, since kids often feel the push from their parents to enter these advanced courses without recognizing what they’re getting themselves into. “My biggest concern is that kids get so wrapped up in ‘oh it’s AP I have to have it, oh it’s honors I have to have it,’ and they really just need to be honest with themselves about what their abilities are at that time and their time commitment, how well they manage the work, how independent they are as learners,” he said. “I think it’s important.”
English Department Chair Heidi D’Acosta agrees. As a teacher of freshmen honors English and junior honors English, she sees how the jump from regular to honors level courses can be challenging for some. “I think level of independence- you are assuming that an honors student has a certain foundation level, and that you can handle a larger project with scaffolding but with a high degree of self direction, motivation, and independence,” she said.
Ms. D’Acosta also felt that the night helps anyone who is interested in honors courses but don’t know what they entail. She acknowledged that while honors courses do more in-depth analysis, all English classes will cover the same material. “Our core curriculum is our core curriculum, everyone does a writing portfolio, everybody reads Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, so I want them to understand the reason for that is so you can move back and forth all four years.”
Junior Caroline Pratt looked forward to Honors/AP night as a chance to learn more about courses that she is debating on taking next year. This night isn’t just for those who are completely unsure of what courses are right for them, it also serves the purpose of familiarizing families with potential courses for next year. “It’s really nice that before you choose to take a class, you’re able to talk to the teachers and get a feel for the class before you take it,” Caroline said. “I was able to ask about the material that will be covered in that course. I love English and would love to know what literature will be read in AP English.”
While Mr. Rothman doesn’t want the event to necessarily guide students away from taking more challenging classes, he does feel that students and parents received a very realistic perspective on what a course entails. “It’s important information, if it discourages certain people, then that’s good because hopefully they’re making a decision based on what reality is,” Mr. Rothman said. “But it also, I think, can encourage some kids to really focus on what matters to them and not just go for everything. It’s really not meant to discourage, it’s meant to give people an honest bit of insight into what is coming if they opt for these classes and enroll in them.”
Ms. D’Acosta hopes that the open panel, and opportunity to talk with teachers, really helped kids make decisions about their course selections. “I think that it provides information and it dispels any misinformation, myths and nervousness,” she said. “I think it’s really to encourage people about the options that we offer. So, I think that it’s really important that there’s an interactive part.”
Mr. Rothman and Ms. D’Acosta both agreed that this night was primarily for the students to evaluate which course would be the best fit for them. “The whole idea about looking less as a competitive experience and more ‘is this something that I want to study and take?’ Naturally, you’re driven by what colleges are asking for and what your guidance counselor is saying… everybody’s rooting for you,” Ms. D’Acosta said. “But it’s very important for a student to think individually, ‘is this really right for me, is this something I will enjoy?’ You really want the decision to reside with the student more than all the adults driving that person.”
