With course selections coming up, I asked 30 students and the Carle Place guidance counselors what they thought was the most beneficial class. The students I asked were composed of juniors, seniors, and alumni. Here are their responses:

RESPONDING TO MEDICAL EMERGENCIES:

It provides training to care for nearly every type of injury, trauma, or emergency you may encounter throughout your life. You get CPR certified and hands-on training with equipment to handle all sorts of medical emergencies.

You can use the stuff you learn because although you may be learning basic stuff, it can still help someone who needs it. Also, the quizzes are really easy and there’s a little work, but it can still be the difference between a life and death situation.

Everyone should know how to act in an emergency, and possibly save a life, if the situation arises. Medical emergencies prepare you for this.

I think everyone should take medical emergencies because it teaches you skills for free that could save someone’s life.

I think that everyone should take Medical Emergencies because it teaches you what to do in real-life emergencies. We learn CPR, rescue breathing, how to check for symptoms of seizures and strokes and so much more. We even learn how to react to bleeding emergencies. At any point, someone could fall to the floor and need CPR, and every second counts so it’s really helpful that we know how to do it. 

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE:

I would recommend AP Environmental Science. Although it is an AP, it is packed with information that is easy to understand. It also makes you respect nature more. It goes in-depth on how the environment changes due to human activity and how we can do better to protect our planet.

I think one class that everyone should take is AP Environmental Science. The class is an eye-opener about the Earth and its systems and provides the students who take it with a wide array of knowledge. 

APES opens your eyes to issues going on in the world today. Therefore, you’re more informed when you turn on the news and hear about things in the media.

I highly recommend taking AP Environmental Science, taught by one of my favorite teachers, as it was an eye-opening experience. I got to learn a lot about my impact on Earth.

SOCIOLOGY:

Sociology with Mrs. Caliendo is one of the most eye-opening and raw classes you can take. It is an excellent opportunity to escape the bubble of Carle Place and enter the real world of injustice, crime, cults, and popular disputes in human society. This class is filled with fun projects and assessments and you can speak openly, debate, and learn the true meaning of perspective. So dive into the real world and join sociology! 

I believe Sociology is essential for students living in a small town to take because we should be exposed to how society as a whole functions, outside of small-town life.

Sociology is a really good class to take because it encourages insightfulness & critical thinking about things that are normally ignored in daily conversation, as these are usually heavy or triggering topics. It’s a good class to talk about those heavy topics appropriately & learn/think about them in a way you haven’t before.

SUPA ECONOMICS:

SUPA Economics with Mrs. Rubenstein has prepared me for my major. I’m currently a business major at college, and friends who aren’t business majors have had to take either micro or macroeconomics in college. The way that Mrs. Rubenstein teaches the class was such a similar experience to a real college class. Not only that but you learn ideas that govern so many real-world concepts that people use daily.

I recommend that everyone should consider taking Supa Economics. In terms of rigor and course work, I feel it to be most similar to a college class. Additionally, Mrs. Rubenstein is a great teacher. 

AP WORLD HISTORY:

APWH is a rigorous AP that over-prepares you for future AP classes. As a result, you will excel in your future APs.

I would recommend taking AP World History. Although it is a bit rigorous for freshmen, it truly prepares you for all future AP and college-level courses.

Being knowledgeable of history from not only the United States, but the world has taught me how to understand diverse viewpoints.

AP US HISTORY:

I recommend taking APUSH. Mrs. Caliendo is a great teacher who pushes her students intellectually through detailed and interesting discussions. She allows us to fully enjoy the topics we learn about with leisure, yet still integrates the challenges of an AP course into the class. 

CREATIVE WRITING:

Creative writing has given me a way to express myself through sharing a fictional story. Having multiple ways to express myself is very important to me.

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY:

AP European History is a class I would recommend. It is so interesting and you can go more into detail than you are when you learn about Europe on a global scale. The homework load is light but I am still able to understand all of the concepts of the lessons. Plus, Mrs. Sullivan shows some pretty awesome documentaries. I also have a lot of fun in Ap Euro and it is my favorite class of my day.

ITALIAN:

Italian class has helped me connect with my family members better. My grandma and grandpa speak mainly Italian, and learning Italian with Mrs. Arata has made my relationship with them better.

SPANISH:

I believe taking Spanish is very useful. The US is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Learning another language is great in the real world and helps expand communication. Not only is it great for travel experiences but it also enhances your resume.

AP PSYCHOLOGY:

The class I think every student should consider taking is AP Psychology because it allowed me to learn about aspects of life that I would’ve never learned in any other AP class. I love how everything was applicable to my life, and it changed my perspective on things!

PRESENTATIONAL SPEAKING:

Presentational speaking prepared me for the real world. Learning how to effectively get my point across has definitely helped me in my current internship, and has made me less nervous presenting.

CAREER AND FINANCE:

I think everyone should consider taking career and finance. It’s an informative but fun class and is very useful for real life.

LAW:

Law has given me a better understanding of the country I live in. Especially when I watch the news, I think about what I learned in Law. Learning about fun facts and serial killers was interesting too.

ORCHESTRA:

Given the opportunity, orchestra is a great class to take! It gave my friends and me HUGE stress relief and we loved how understanding Mr. Stein was regarding our stress.

SCULPTURE:

I recommend taking sculpture with Mr. Giacalone because it’s a great time to just wind down and relax after stressing over your academic classes all day, and it’s a lot of fun to do the projects. 

BAKING AND PASTRIES:

A class that I would recommend for everyone to take is baking and pastries because it was a lot of fun to bake and decorate cookies and cakes. We learned a lot about setting the oven and keeping Tupperware clean. 

ENGINEERING:

Engineering class with Tonner or, even any class with him is great! It’s such a relaxed environment, but also you learn so much that you can use later in your life!

Here are the guidance counselors’ answers:

Mr. Vella:

Virtual Enterprise has an untraditional class structure that cultivates collaborative work, a real glimpse of what it is like to work in a corporate setting or small business. Regardless of whether the student is interested in business, the knowledge of how business is conducted, and the collaborative work environment are great assets to develop.

Presentational Speaking: The development of not just the act of speaking publicly but constructing a sound argument to present to a group is extremely valuable. Learning how to take ideas from the mind and present them in an organized fashion to gain credibility or make a strong case for something one believes in is a skill that is useful in any industry and as a communicator in their personal life.

Mrs. Molloy:

We offer so many great courses that are important and prepare students for life after high school. These two courses are my top 2 choices that I think teach students skills that they will need to become successful adults. I think that College Presentational Speaking is a fabulous course. Public speaking is one of the most common fears that people have and yet it is an important skill to have, so I think that is a very useful course. 

Career & Financial Management is another great course that teaches skills that everyone will need to know. These skills include how to manage and budget your money, write checks and balance your checkbook, rent an apartment, and also resume writing.  

Mrs. Dass:

College Presentational  Speaking- No matter what profession or job you do in life you will always need to utilize the ability to communicate with your words.  I would like to see all students take this class because the skills students learn will help them develop Transitional Adult Work Skills and be better prepared for the next step in life.

Career & Finance- All students need to know the basic fundamentals of finance so they can manage their finances, bills and budgets.  Mismanagement of money can be one of life biggest stressors, I believe all students should know the basics of managing their own finances to be prepared for adult life.