The new year has just started, but the school year is now more than half way through. The next school year is coming along quickly, and students have choices to make about what is going to happen. 

Starting this Friday, students will have the opportunity to begin selecting classes to fill their 2021-22 schedules. 

Students have dozens of classes to choose from, including this year’s addition of Dual Credit Statistics, should anyone want a new math class to take. Information on this class, as well as other classes, is available on the course catalog, featured on both the district website and the school’s counseling website.

When going over the information, it is important to consider certain factors when choosing. 

“In the ideal world, students have some idea of what they want their future career to be, and then they take their elective classes to try out some of those different fields and different ideas to see if they are what they think they are,” said Patricia Zacharias, counselor of students H-O, 10-12.

Huntley High School offers many different classes, courses, and academies aimed to help students succeed in their desired fields, as well as helping students decide what they want to do when they get out of high school.

There is the choice within that; should students take classes that interest them or classes that would help them in college?

“As far as core classes go, I advise students to take those challenging core classes that they can take without it being too much for them,” Zacharias said.

There are a variety of classes that students can take within the core paths, such as upcoming seniors having options for their English IV class, each exploring a different area of literature. 

If the options seem overwhelming, or the process seems confusing, the HHS counseling department will be holding question and answer sessions based on grade level, more information is available on the counseling website, as well as information about the Jan. 20 parent Q & A session with counselors.

Information can also be found at www.district158.org/hhs/course-registration 

One question that students probably will have is ‘what do we do about COVID-19? Should we prepare for another online year?’

“You don’t know for sure exactly what’s going to happen, but we’re hoping for in-person. But students should keep in the back of their mind that we don’t have control, none of us do, so to kind of be thinking about both those things, but I would focus on in-person,” Zacharias said.

Once a student decides on what classes to take, they will go through a process similar to the previous years, selecting classes based on the subject within Powerschool. Tutorials are available on the information page (linked above) sent out Monday, Jan. 11.

It is also important to be careful when selecting electives. 

“Sometimes students get very busy, and they don’t put as much time into their course selection, but then they end up in a class that they chose, but they never really wanted to take. They just picked it to get the process over with,” Zacharias said.

Course selection closes on Jan. 25. Make sure to explore your options and prepare for next year before the selection process closes.