Clark Magnet High School’s Vice Principal Dr. Hairapetian planned to introduce a new way for students to learn about AP classes for the upcoming school year: an Expo led by students who volunteered to present the college-level classes they take.
During lunchtime on Wednesday and Thursday of the 24th and 25th of February, students were able to walk around freely and look at the tables set up by ASB members, representing Advance Placement students who had spent their time decorating the tables, ready to answer any questions or concerns about the class.
With this new adjustment of face-to-face interactions between experienced AP students and intrigued underclassmen, students can have a better idea of what the class environment is like, what the day-to-day workload is, and the overall expectation of taking the class. Senior Preni Avakian, one of the representatives of AP Studio Arts, was curious to see how students would react to this new experience. “The AP Expo was an interesting event. We had a lot of students interested, and I was excited to see students asking questions about AP Arts and how the class is,” Avakian said.
Although seniors would not benefit from the Expo as they will be graduating, Avakian saw the opportunity to help younger students understand what to expect from AP classes. “As a senior, I think this expo was helpful for younger students to really understand what each AP offers so that they can choose which AP suits them the best.”
Mrs. Diana McGrath, AP English Literature teacher at Clark, found the Expo a much more suited way of communicating her AP class to students who might be interested in joining. “AP orientation was a way for students to leave their classes and waste their time, but with the new Expo, students will be able to talk to students who genuinely love the classes and give them first-hand experience with the classes,” McGrath said. She also believes that AP Expos should continue occurring every year and it was much more effective than the previous method.
Sophomore Anthony Alfarno was invested in the classes presented, as he was able to ask several questions directly to students who had taken the class he was interested in. “I enjoyed the AP Expo a lot because it was run by students instead of teachers. Students who are a part of the AP classes give a better explanation of how classes work from the student’s perspective. All in all, I enjoyed the experience of students running the AP Expo more than teachers,” Alfarno said.
The new AP expo is a great way of showing off an AP class while allowing students within the class to connect with and answer questions that students who are curious about the class might have. It is also a great opportunity to observe the Clark community attempt new methods of engaging and educating students about classes in different ways.
