Every year, students are faced with the decision of what elective to take. The decision of which to take may be easy for some, but others may struggle to make a final decision. Taking elective classes is required for all students in order to achieve A-G requirements, and yet very little information is shared about them.
“I think [we] should show people what it’s more about and just open their eyes because people might not really know what it is but then they see it and say ‘oh my gosh, I would love to do that’,” junior Kenzi Holmes said.
While many of the electives listed may be recognized, others may be glossed over. This may lead to confusion regarding what exactly an elective entails, leading to students choosing classes that have easily recognized purposes; such as culinary arts, criminal justice, or pottery. This in turn leads to classes filling up quickly and students then having to attend classes they did not view as a first choice.
“I think electives help students figure out what they want to do in the future. I took a teachers class last year, Careers in Education, and it inspired me to be a teacher or try to pursue that sort of career path, so I think that [electives] actually help a lot,” senior George Knotts said.

Many classes that aren’t a first choice rely on students in order to keep the programs running. These include yearbook, ONE TV and journalism. These classes also run more efficiently when there is an interest in the class, which cannot be found when students aren’t given details that may possibly pique their interest. Currently, a description of classes can be found in Mission Hill’s course catalog for 2022-2023. However, many students may not know how to access or find this catalog, and regardless, there should be promotion of these classes in order to draw students in. Promotion of these classes and others could happen in many different ways, such as through ONE TV, flyers/posters, emails, or the school website.
“Students would benefit from getting more information before course selection starts, just so they can really see all of their different options available to them and then choose courses that really meet their interest level or their future needs. The more that we can promote all of the different options for students,” said Nicole Miller, yearbook teacher.
Mission Hills does host an event during lunch showcasing all the electives, however, this was a one day event which students may have not attended, or even gained enough information from. In addition to that, it took place right before students chose their next year schedules, denying them of time they could have used to reflect on what they had seen. Showcasing electives should be a longer event that students are encouraged to attend, and it should take place before choosing schedules, in order to give students enough time to make a decision that they feel more confident about.

However, Mission Hills did have an elective fair, called the Grizzly Showcase, which took place on March 15. Information about how this event went can be found here. Previously, this event took place online, but this year, it was available for all students and parents to attend and learn about elective classes. And while having this showcase was an opportunity to gain more information about certain classes, it took place after students have chosen their schedules. Which as previously stated, is less effective than if it took place before. Mission Hills should strive to give their students information about classes they will be attending the next year, before they have to make the choice.