As a senior, I’ve been able to experience Galileo’s schedule changes firsthand. Throughout most of my Galileo experience, only 6 periods were offered, providing limited opportunity to try classes outside of the core curriculum. However, with the school’s recent switch to seven period schedules, there is an increased opportunity for students to take elective classes that they personally find interesting.
This got me thinking: what classes have I missed out on taking as a result of not having access to seven period schedules for most of my time at Galileo? After looking through Galileo’s class list, I selected 5 that I had never really considered due to my need to fill my 6 periods with core classes.
With Galileo students soon having to select their classes for next year, I hope this list is helpful in making some consider the unique electives students are able to fit into their 7 period schedule.
ASB Class
The first class that stood out to me is ASB Class. I was aware that ASB ran school events, but I didn’t know that there was a dedicated class. “The class teaches leadership, teamwork, budgeting, communication, and event planning skills. It serves as the student voice in school decision-making and helps foster a positive school culture,” explained Mr. Mendoza, the teacher of the ASB class.
After asking more, I learned that the class is entirely for elected school officials to spend their time coordinating and organizing ASB activities. I would’ve loved to attend this class as part of my student career, but I never knew it was offered as an extension of ASB. If you want to join a class dedicated to the betterment of our school community, consider running for a position in ASB.
Athletic Conditioning
Another class taught by Mr. Mendoza that stood out to me was athletic conditioning class, which is a seventh period elective class. This class is for athletes to train during school, minimizing the academic impact if a student needs to travel for an out-of-school game. On most days, athletes do training such as weights, speed drills, flexibility exercises, and practice recovery techniques. Since I was never on a Galileo sports team, this class might not have been of much use to me personally, however I could see it being extremely useful to many student athletes I know personally.
Creative Writing
Creative Writing is a class in which students get to spend a full year practicing their writing skills. Every two weeks, students are tasked with turning in a new piece of writing that practices a different medium or technique. The finals for each semester are to expand upon a piece that was previously submitted, turning it into a full six page long work. “We alternate weekly between reading clubs and writing workshops. We also go on several field trips and writing walks,” added Ms. Sheppeck. I opted for Journalism as my elective writing class for senior year, but after learning more about Creative Writing, I definitely would’ve given it more consideration. As someone who loves writing, the ability to spend class time transforming a shorter piece into a longer one sounds very enticing to me.
Drama
I was aware the school offered Drama, but I didn’t know what course contents the Drama 1 & 2 courses offered. Drama teacher Mr. Ayala explained, “We learn how to interpret scripts through acting, set design, costume design, as well as light and sound design. We work as a team to put on performances throughout the year.” The class also works on creating original plays, as well as going on field trips to study the techniques of professionals.
Film History
The last class I wanted to learn more about was a new one. Film History was added two years ago, led by Digital Communications teacher Mr. Machtay. In this class, students are tasked with submitting roughly weekly write-ups on the films shown in class. The write-ups usually ask students to consider the key concepts of the film, explaining their thoughts on the story or creative universe the films encapsulate. In terms of the content that is discussed, Mr. Machtay says, “the class is taught mostly in terms of social issues and social movements. So, the depression in the 30s, and the communist witch hunts in the 50s, and the war in the 40s, and the revolutionary fervor in the 60s; How did those influence the films of their era and how did the films shape society?” I’m currently in my third year of the Digital Communications pathway, now acting as a pseudo TA for the Advanced Video class. Since I’m now mostly repeating material I learned in the past two years, I definitely would’ve opted for Film History if I could go back and make that change.
All things considered, there are many interesting electives offered by our school, and I hope Galileo students are able to take advantage of them now that their schedules allow for it. I for one certainly wish I could’ve added ASB or Film History to my course list if I had the room in my schedule or been more aware of them.
