In Rockford Public Schools there is a requirement that many classes must have at least 20 students to schedule the class for the following year. In a district so diverse in intelligence and talent this may not always happen. For example, here at Guilford, AP Studio Art and 2D Design have been combined into one class for the past six years. Beginning this year, Spanish 4 and AP Spanish have been combined due to a lack of students willing to take the AP class.

Although in some cases the difference between classes is minimal, it can cause a serious divide in the curriculum. For classes like Ms. Itasha Montgomery’s Spanish 4 and AP Spanish classes, the divide can be huge when half the class receives an AP credit while the other half doesn’t. It also creates nightmares for teachers having to divvy up time for each of their two classes in just one period.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done,” said Ms. Montgomery.

Next year, The Voyager newspaper will no longer run as a class due to a lack of student applications. Our staff has worked hard to recruit and find students who want to be a part of this paper that we put so much work into. A class that was once an honor for some elite students in the school is now looking for any student they can convince. I personally once saw a student in the cafeteria wipe his mouth with a Voyager issue and that hurt me deeply because so many people work hard and care so much about it, and that is how our work is viewed in the school. This is an important medium of news for this school, and it will pain many to see it go.

If you are interested in a certain class, or you want to know more information, find people associated with those classes and ask as many questions as possible. Whether you’re discouraged by the difficulty, by the fact none of your friends are in it, or because it’s just too different, give it a chance because you may just like what you find.