Highland students, grades ninth through eleventh, are registering this week for the upcoming school year during their Language Arts class period in the library.

Last Wednesday, the third, a special assembly was held on HTVS where Karrie Jarratt and John Valentine thoroughly went through what courses are mandatory for each grade. They announced that Math 1050 will still not be a class offered at Highland, but also that AP Sociology, among a number of other classes will now be offered to students for next year. They also suggested certain class periods to take for each grade so that students avoid the frantic rush many seniors face each year to get enough credits to graduate. After the program was held each student expecting to attend Highland next year was handed a registration card. Blue cards were given to oncoming sophomores, orange for oncoming juniors, and yellow for oncoming seniors. Now the dash to not only decide what courses one wants to take, but also to get the perspective signatures has begun.

While many students have a clear idea what classes they want to take next year, some people are wrestling with the idea of taking online courses. While Jarratt and Valentine went in depth on the majority of classes that are available to students, it was not mentioned as a possibility. Even though online classes or packets were not specifically talked about, that does not mean that they are not valuable, and sometimes better alternative that students can take.

“I’ve done several online classes and they were al good experiences. I really liked them because they allowed me to move at my own pace, and get things done when I had the time to. Occasionally it was hard to stay motivated without the structure of a class, but the looser setup worked well for me. I would recommend them to all students who want to get classes finished quickly, or who want to free up spaces in their schedules, as long as they are disciplined enough to keep up on the work on their own,” an academically vigorous junior, Mckenzie Mclean said.

This seems to run true, for the majority of students interviewed who took online classes seemed to find them a good fit, if they were willing to take the initiative to get it done.

“I think it is a great alternative for classes needed to graduate or for the Regent’s Scholarship. One does need a lot of discipline, though it is really worth it in the long run. Having an online class I really had to read the material and I feel as though I got to know it better than I would have in the classroom environment,” junior Lauren Kerr said.

But taking packets and online classes are not necessary in order get the 24 credits mandatory for graduation at Highland High school. With such a small amount of credits needed (other school districts, such as granite need at least 27), it is completely doable go above and beyond the amount of credits needs to graduate, even through only taking classes at Highland. This year, more heavily than others, they have discussed d how easy it is for students to not only accomplish the allotted amount but to exceed it rather than just taking Home Releases.

“This is just in my opinion, but we have always suggested for freshmen and sophomores to take a very heavy schedule so that they have a lot of freedom in their senior schedule. As I’ve done this for a long time but the issue I now have with that is that I think the seniors really take too light of a schedule” Jarrat said.

Even though it might seem like the best idea to just get everything out of the way, it is not really the case. Students that do not take academically vigorous courses their senior year are not prepared to for the college classes that they will soon face.

“My advice would be to take the classes you want to take! If you are a little bit interested in a subject, I suggest taking it. I also suggest taking hard classes. Challenging myself this year has been very rewarding because I have learned to work hard to get a good grade,” senior Kate Sampson said.

Registration is an exciting, and often confusing time of year. Don’t forget that just because it wasn’t explicitly discussed on HTVS doesn’t mean it’s not an option. If you have any questions concerning your graduation progress, or what classes are right for you, the counselors here at Highland are more than happy to help.