The freedom of choosing classes usually comes with picking certain electives. Therefore, each year students know exactly what they are required to take to graduate by the end of senior year. The English department developed a new idea for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year: there will be more choices for senior English instead of the traditional “English 4” class.

“English 4 is still going to be taught as a year long class. The only difference is that there is going to be more freedom in what the students get to read,” said English department chair Dee Andershock.

The different reading options comes from different semester options for literature classes: including “Women and Literature,” “Modern Literature,” “Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror Literature,” and “World Literature.” The different literature courses will offer students the opportunity to choose what they would be interested in studying throughout the semester course. In addition to the semester literature choices, all seniors will be required to take a writing course tentatively being called “College Writing.” If a student is graduating early, this new option will provide early-graduates a chance to experience the I-Search, which will remain as a core component to senior English. The project will be worked through in the college writing course.

Not only are teachers excited for this new change, but students seem to be talking about the change in a positive way as well.

Junior Ryan Simonson said, “I think kids will actually take this new class more seriously because they got to choose it. They will take advantage of it because it sounds more fun than regular English.”

The English department views the new senior English sequence as an opportunity to provide seniors with a more rigorous and college-ready program, and they hope it is something students will find to be more beneficial and enjoyable.