As the time for students to pick next year’s classes is fast approaching, many find themselves at a crossroads with dozens of electives to choose from. Amador will host its annual Elective Fair, organized by Kevin Kiyoi and Wendy Connelly, on Jan. 22 to help students learn about their options.
“The elective fair gives students and parents an opportunity to have one-on-one conversations and hear about different possible elective choices. It gives kids choices about things they might be interested in pursuing,” said Kiyoi.
Students can expect to see presenters from specialized science, humanities, arts courses, and more. All presenters are there to provide information and interactive experiences for event attendees.
“Most students rely on their friends to tell them about classes, but you’re not really getting a real view of what goes on and what the class offers. The fair lets them hear directly about the class for themselves,” said Connelly.
Attendees can interact with various stations including computer science, engineering, biomed, foreign languages, drama, band, journalism, art, and culinary. In addition, they also have the opportunity to speak to the classes’ teachers and current students.
“[The goal is] to tell the families what the different classes are, what to expect regarding workload, opportunities for career advancement, and opportunities for taking consecutive classes,” said Kiyoi.
The many booths and stations help students explore by giving attendees a small taste of what each class offers.
“For example, for computer science, we bring in virtual reality, and robots and drones. If we just say we’re going to do a bunch of coding, that’s less exciting,” said Kiyoi.
This year is the second time the elective fair will be hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The turnout was good, to a point that the night gets to be a little bit long because we have so many people asking different questions,” said Kiyoi as he reflects on last year’s fair.
Navigating the elective fair can feel like going through a maze of chatty booths and scribbled lists. However, the event allows students to explore the myriad of options available to shape their academic future.
“The elective fair is truly one of the best opportunities for parents and students to really figure out what they should be signing up for,” said Connelly.
