Hudson High School offers so many interesting electives, and numerous opportunities for students of all grades to partake in. The large variety of core classes offered is equally met with many encores. These classes are the perfect way for students to immerse themselves in different career paths, or find hobbies, as well as take a break from the stress of their main classes and have a fun break during their school day. Some of the most popular elective classes include Ceramics, Culinary, Woodshop and Digital Photo.
Sophomore Phoebe Krenn took Digital Photo 1 with Mr. Naujoks. Phoebe describes the class as “very interesting, photo editing heavy and really fun because Mr. Naujoks is a very good teacher.” Phoebe took Photo the first semester of her freshman year and recommends it to students looking for a beneficial and engaging elective. Phoebe explains the class is “not what you would expect. It’s more of a Photoshop class where we learn how to edit photos. We add to photos, remove things and in the process, it definitely helps students become more familiar with using a computer.” The class has many projects and ways to better one’s skills with a camera and a computer. The class is offered to grades nine through twelve and is a semester credit. It’s open to anyone and requires no prerequisites. To further knowledge, students can later take Digital Photo 2 after completing Digital Photo 1, and continue to Advanced Digital Photo after the other two classes.
Also within the art department, many students rave about Ceramics taught by Mrs. Toth. Sophomore Hadley Halstead took Ceramics the second semester of her Freshman year. Out of the many projects they did, her favorite was, “creating bowls that we got to shape and paint with whatever design and color we wanted. It was nice because we had a lot of freedom to make it our own.” Sophomore McKenna Kiewatt especially liked how many opportunities they had to sculpt. “I believe we made two bowls, a coil project, animals, and things like jewelry dishes throughout the course.” In this class, students use a pottery wheel to decorate and glaze various designs. Like Digital Photo, this class is offered to all students and is a semester course, worth ½ a credit. Those who excelled in Ceramics can take Advanced Ceramics. Advanced Ceramics is a way for students to perfect their abilities and have more challenging projects.
Another popular elective offered at the High School is Culinary Fundamentals. It is a semester ½ credit class offered to Sophomores through Seniors. There is some controversy surrounding the class due to the small amount of cooking done. However, the majority of students have enjoyed what they’ve done so far. Sophomore Kelsie Moore is currently taking Culinary. “When we first come to class, we get a worksheet, and then I get a coloring book, then we do some learning, and lastly, we play blanket. We’ve done some cooking, but not as much as I was expecting.” Sophomore Laine Lewis says, “So far, we’ve cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner and a cooking of choice.” The class is taught by Mrs. Crawford, who is new this year and is said to be a very flexible and understanding teacher. The class is taught in a classroom with multiple ovens, kitchen supplies and counter space. While everyone expects it to be a class just for cooking and baking, students learn important information about nutrition, spices and vitamins.
Lastly, there is Woodshop, taught by Mr. Stonestreet. A lot of students enjoy Woods because it’s a very hands-on class, and in the end, you’ve created your very own clocks and pens. These items are very detailed and fully functioning. In the class, a significant amount of attention is put into making the projects detailed and perfected to a tee. Sophomore Renad Sleik takes Geometric Design, which is a mix of Geometry and Woodshop, taught by Mr. Hill and Mr. Stonestreet. It’s a class that takes up two periods and spans the full school year. This class is offered to any student taking Geometry, but in order to take it, one must apply and get accepted. She considers the class “very fun and engaging, with very nice teachers.” She also breaks down the process of their projects. “First, each day we are taught about how to make a part, for instance, with the clock, each day we learn how to make a specific part of the clock, then we build that section, and lastly, in the end, we assemble everything.” It’s always rewarding to see a finished project after working or days or even weeks on it.
Hudson High School students are very lucky to have so many different elective options. These are only a few of the many wonderful courses offered. There is truly a class for anyone to cater to each student’s particular interests.
