Need help picking which classes to take next year? Here are some recommendations from your fellow classmates!

Advanced Honors Geometry by Maddie Hannan ’24

Get ready to work because this class moves fast! The pace is fast, but not to worry! Mrs. Cheyne is always available for extra help and never shies away from a student with a question. This class challenges students to think differently and really makes use of all levels of math that students have learned up until this point. I would definitely recommend spreading the work out over the days and attending office hours the night before a test!

AP Spanish by Anna LoCicero ’21

Spanish has always been one of my favorite classes at NDA, and as a senior I am so happy that I took AP Spanish to finish off my time at NDA. Even though most students go from Spanish 4 to AP, I had taken Spanish 5 as a Junior, but I feel as though we all transitioned really well. This class is currently taught by Señora Butler, and she always makes the class so much fun by playing games, watching Spanish music videos, and giving us fun presentation projects so we can practice our Spanish-speaking skills. I absolutely recommend this course to every student taking Spanish at NDA!

Honors Biology 1 with Mr. Rosta by Alex Lacandula, ‘24

Even though I was unable to choose any of my courses nor participate in any electives this year, I would really like to recommend one of my favorite classes this year, Honors Biology. The class is incredibly fun and interesting, yet quite complex and challenging. If you are an 8^th grader and this is something you like, you should definitely consider taking this class!

Honors Theatre by Katherine Dee ’22

Going to my Honors Theatre class is always the absolute highlight of my day. The class is heavily discussion based and focuses on the technical aspects of the theatre, rather than the performance aspects. Our first semester was focused on set design, lighting design, sound design, hair design, makeup design, and costume design. The end of the semester concluded with our directors notebook project, which involved designing a whole show. For this semester, we are focusing on dramaturgy and playwriting. We watch movies and read plays that apply to what we are learning, and work together in our three person class to help each other. It is a two year course and I am very excited to continue into next year! No matter if you are a seasoned pro or are new at doing theatre, there is a place for you in this class and I cannot recommend it enough!

Digital Illustration by Grace Pistorino ’24

If you are looking for an art elective for next year, consider taking Digital Illustration. This course is only for half of the year (1 semester) and is a lot of fun. You use the app Procreate on iPad Pros with Apple pencils and learn how to draw and create art digitally. Even if you don’t call yourself an “artist,” Digital Illustration is very interesting and an easy skill to learn. Some creations so far from this year include morphing two different animals together and reimaginations of album covers. I would highly recommend this amazing course to everyone!

Some examples from this year:

A giraffe and a turtle, by Anna Claire

A duck and a rabbit, by Jasmine Lanata

A reimagining of the album Illuminate (Shawn Mendes), by Caroline DeGraan

A reimagining of the album Heartbreak Weather (Niall Horan), by Grace Pistorino

A reimagining of the album Globalization (Pitbull), by Ellen Ryan

AP US History (aka APUSH) by Aisling McLaughlin ‘23

This class covers everything from Christopher Columbus and colonization of the Americas all the way up to present day. That can be very daunting, but I found that a lot of my previous knowledge from years in school helped for a number of the big topics (like the Revolutionary War)! I would suggest this class to rising sophomores who are looking to take AP classes as upperclassmen so that they can learn the structure of an AP class and learn the exam before being thrown into all AP. Definitely be prepared for lots of reading!

AP Government and Politics by Sarah Grozier ’21

Looking for a fun and interesting way to learn more about our system of government in the United States? AP US Government and Politics is the perfect class to take to get more involved in the way things work. If you are lucky enough to have Mr. Rose for this class, you will learn not just about the ins and outs of American government and politics but about life skills, some tidbits of economics, and so much about Mr. Rose’s adventures. Plus, if you score well enough on the exam, you could earn college credit. I would highly recommend this class to anyone looking for a fun and fast-paced way to learn history.