This past Monday, representatives from elective classes across campus participated in Amador Valley’s Elective Fair, giving students and parents a closer look at the wide range of courses available. The event allowed students to explore their options, ask questions, and make informed decisions about their schedules for the upcoming school year.
“[Knowing elective classes] is definitely good energy for me. I think it’s motivational. It gives me a good feeling going into the next school year,” said Adrian van de Veerdonk (‘28).
Showcasing the Variety of Electives
With Amador offering such a diverse selection of courses, many electives often go unnoticed. The elective fair provided students and parents an opportunity to explore options they might not have considered before.
“Since Amador is so diverse in the amount of classes it has to offer curriculum-wise, a lot of the electives are overshadowed and fall out of the spotlight in terms of student exposure,” said Reese Zhou (‘26).
As students and parents browsed the booths, teachers and volunteers highlighted the benefits of their courses. Each booth visit was a potential new student to them. “What most students are looking for in a class are college appeal, personal appeal, and commitment level. I think you just give an accurate rundown of what the class structure is like, what to expect with commitment, and the main selling points,” said Zhou.
Spotlight on Lesser-Known Classes
While many students visited booths for well-known electives, the fair also gave smaller programs a chance to shine. Teachers and students representing these courses explained their curriculum and unique benefits.
“Especially for the yearbook, we’re such a small team this year. It’s really important that people who may have never explored yearbook as an option get to know the class,” said Alyssa Wu (‘25).
Students also used the fair as a chance to plan their future schedules, considering both workload and personal interests.
“I think I’ll join AP Human Geography because I’ve heard as far as APs go, it’s pretty light. Then I’ll definitely move up to honors pre-calc in math and continue in the music department,” said van de Veerdonk.
A Successful Event
Overall, this year’s elective fair was a success. It proved to be a valuable resource for students looking to make informed decisions about their course selections at Amador Valley.
“The elective fair is a perfect event to familiarize everyone with the options that they have available and maybe introduce them to a class that they might find interesting,” said Zhou.
