Ace Your Way Through High School

Best Classes To Take at the Maclay Upper School

Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

In the transition from middle school to high school, there is a notable difference in the amount of freedom in choosing classes. That freedom was one of my favorite parts of high school. I got to choose my classes not only based on skill level and difficultness, but also based on my interests. Throughout my high school experience, I took numerous classes that will stick with me throughout college, including Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition, Personal Finance and Risk and Reward and Honors Human Anatomy and Physiology.

AP English Language and Composition is a year-long course taught by the Chair of the English Department Lee Norment. Throughout the class, I learned about many different writers, poets and their specific writing techniques. We studied the aims of education, American culture, argumentation and many more valuable lessons. My favorite part of this class was how the desks were in a circle so we could all contribute to the class discussion. This made the environment feel less like the teacher doing all the talking and more of an all-around conversation about what we read the night before. Although this class has a heavy workload, I never regretted taking it. I learned so much about English that I will use for the rest of my life.

Personal Finance is a semester-long course, typically followed by Risk and Reward, another semester-long course taught by Business and Entrepreneurship Academy Director Justin VanTassel. In Personal Finance, we learned about setting financial goals, paychecks and taxes, forming a limited liability company (LLC) and more money-related topics. I came out of this class with ideas about how I should budget my money, what to do and what not to do when it comes to saving and spending. In Risk and Reward, we learned about Tallahassee’s business, business plans and what it is like to create one’s own business. These two classes were very eye-opening to the real world and I learned so many valuable lessons that I feel more confident about the future.

Although not a current class anymore, Honors Human Anatomy and Physiology was a year-long course taught by Coleman Mackie. An alternative to this is Honors Human Body Systems taught by Biomedical Concentration Director Rachel Paul. In Honors Human Anatomy and Physiology, we learned about biomolecules, numerous body systems and socio-scientific issues. The most memorable project we created was a biomedical device. We were first given an issue and we had to create a biomedical device and sell it to our “patient” in front of the class. This project showed me what it was like to be a medical device sales representative, which is what I had hoped to be in the future.

Although these classes are incredibly different from each other, they all had one thing in common: speaking up in class or giving presentations. Growing up, I was too shy to speak up in class, but because of these three classes, I gained the confidence to stand up in front of the class and talk. Ever since I was little, I wanted to become a teacher, and with the skills that I had acquired, I can finally fulfill that dream.