Elective courses are making changes this school year to adapt to online learning. Although classes like art and gym can not continue with their usual schedules, teachers have been making necessary changes, while still finding ways to make it similar to previous years.

For art classes, all the projects and materials have to be altered. For these electives, students are now given art materials to take home. Ceramics teacher Unsil Kim has made modifications to her assignments and projects this year. “I purchased a docu-camera so students can see me demonstrate techniques and follow along. I also need to have lots of back-up plans for when we have technical difficulties,” Kim said.

Although there are pivotal changes, art students are still excited to try new things and do art in a different way. Many students are continuing their art course from last year to the next higher level. Junior Charlotte Christovich has been taking an art class since freshman year and is currently taking AP studio art drawing. “It will be interesting to see how different art classes are from previous years and how we are doing things differently. I am excited that we get to pick up materials since it will make it seem more like the full experience,” Christovich said.

Another course dramatically changed this year is child development. Junior Allie Gritz is taking child development two. During the first two weeks of class in a typical school year, students learn how to efficiently educate children and learn about how the kids grow starting at a young age. Once the kids come in for preschool, rotations are set for planning, teaching and observing. “This year we are going to extend the period of time we usually have before the kids come and study how they develop, information about parenting styles and mostly just everything that’s age appropriate,” Gritz said.

Gym classes are also adapting to online learning. The typical gym classes like basketball, yoga, soccer and net sports all have to be modified. Sophomore Haley Cooper is getting used to having yoga online. “At the beginning of class we do warm up questions in the chat. Sometimes we do yoga as a class led by the teacher and other times we go into breakout rooms and lead it ourselves while learning yoga poses from a Google document,” Cooper said.

Online learning is filled with challenges. “The hardest thing about online learning is not being able to build closer relationships with my students, which is so much easier to do in person. I will miss the immediate positive feedback that happens in a classroom as well as being around students and feeding off their energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and hope in life,” Kim said.