“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” projects from the mouths of juniors in a class completely devoted to Shakespeare.
Boring and confusing are two often words used to describe Shakespeare’s work by current freshmen reading Julius Caesar.
However, surprisingly enough, some juniors, who take the Shakespeare elective, use two words that are just the opposite: imaginative and relatable.
According to Brian Tippy, who teaches the course, Shakespeare is a great environment for those who enjoy analyzing text as well as those who would like to practice their public speaking and confidence when having to perform a scene from a play.
“What many students fail to realize is that Shakespeare includes characters who go through pretty applicable and universal topics that they can relate to in their daily lives,” Tippy said.
“Shakespeare is pretty much responsible for influencing our sense of the way we look at people in the world today and what it means to be human.”
Alongside Shakespeare, one of the newer electives, Motion Graphic Production taught by Jim Honeycutt, is unknown to most at Staples.
“It’s a whole new career path for young people,” Honeycutt said. The course explores motion design and the use of transition bumpers and promos including weather and sports, some of which are featured on Good Morning Staples.
Honeycutt decided to make this addition to the media program when he realized technology was advancing so quickly. He said he felt that kids who potentially want careers in media should be educated in this area.
Justin Schwebel ’16 describes the class as a “relaxed atmosphere” that is directed towards students with an interest in the use of animation and motion objects to enhance their videos.
“I think the reason for not many people knowing about it is because this really is the first year it is being taught; hopefully next year as people get more informed as to what it’s about, the class will have a lot more students,” Schwebel said.
Justin had a great amount of success his first semester; this is his second time in a row taking the class.
In contrast to Shakespeare and Motion Graphic Production, one class that is pretty well-known is Child Developent. However, it is most popular among girl students.
“The boy to girl ratio within the program is just awful,” said Linda McClary, who teaches the course. “It’s not as common for boys to take the class as it is for girls, and I’m not sure why that is.”
Grant Heller ’14, one of the few male students in McClary’s Child Development class, has insight as to why he is one of a few.
“To be honest, I didn’t even sign up for the class. I just saw it on my schedule so I kept it,” Heller said. “I feel as though most guys don’t take on an interest because it’s not very intriguing, especially as a high school student when many of the topics don’t apply to you at this age.”
Child Development studies children from birth to age 5. Some of the topics covered in the course include influences on the development of children, the ages and stages of development and the importance of child safety, nutrition and medical care.
Sloane Cooper ’15, also one of McClary’s students, said, “Most people think just moms have a connection with the child since they were the ones who gave birth to it, but in the class, you learn about how dads are able to connect and feel closer to the child,”
“It’s not like we are learning how to be parents but to understand the concept of parenthood and childhood better,” Cooper said.
Yet girls and boys alike have the opportunity to take dozens of different electives at Staples, with Shakespeare, Motion Graphics, and Child Development, being just three. Classes ranging from Mural Painting to Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe are also the known gems in the Staples curriculum and are just waiting for students to take advantage of them.
