Pick an English class, any English class, because with a variety of sophomores comes a variety of courses that best suit their different interests and talents.                      Ms. Pumelia, the chairperson of the English Department, explained, “Sophomores who have an English class with a class code of ‘-4G’ meet with their guidance counselor in the spring term in order to select Creative Writing, American Classics, or Journalism as their English class in junior year.”             With choices of creatively expressing yourself, reporting on newsworthy issues, and reading vocabulary-improving classical books, some Hornets have difficulty deciding, especially since they must stick with their choices for a whole year.             According to Ms. Pumelia, if there is a problem with a chosen class, then some juniors are allowed to switch into a different English class, but dropping one class for another casts a bad light onto a Hornet’s transcript. In order to prevent this, sophomores need to realistically choose a class that best fits into their schedules and that reflects their interests.             For those interested in reading and writing non-fiction, the Journalism class, taught by Ms. Kaczmarek, is an option because the class focuses on improving writing, analyzing articles from newspapers, and commenting on each other’s articles, as well as reading full length works of non-fiction, such as A Civil Action, the Book Seller of Kabul, and Nickel and Dimed. Young journalists are then graded on tests, articles, quizzes, participation, and portfolios ,which are collections of typed-up comments on articles from newspapers.
    Lana Pushkar ‘13 said, “Journalism will grab your attention as you try to grab the attention of other students by writing articles on important issues for Argus, the school paper.”         Creative Writing classes focus class time on improving writing ability by encouraging imagination and inspiration, commenting on short stories, poems, and plays, and reading fiction books such as Kindred, Open City, the Scarlet Letter, and Sweet Françoise.                                 “We take stories apart, look at how the writer develops theme and characters, and apply those techniques to our own writing,” explained Mr. Vilbig, one of the Creative Writing teachers.
    Ms. Lustbader, the other Creative Writing teacher, instructs her students to pass their written work anonymously to others, to critique on each other’s work, and to nominate the papers they feel are the best.                          “If you want a class that lets you travel into the depths of your mind,” advised Gloria McGahan ’13, “then take Creative Writing because that class will make you think in a wider scope.”                         
 Last but not least are the American Classics courses which are traditional English classes that emphasize reading more than writing and are taught by a variety of teachers. According to Mr. Milkman, by reading classical books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Scarlet Letter, and the House of Mirth, juniors receive the opportunity to study the cultural mirrors of the most important political, social, and economic aspects of American history. More modern books are read om the spring semester such as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Nobody’s Fool, and Catch 22 which also examine American society.         
According to Anna Yesileveskiy ’13 and Mridula Zaman ’13, Mr. Milkman and Mr. Perchuk assign reading every day, discuss the reading in class the next day, and give pop quizzes weekly. Mr. Milkman also assigns essays and creates discussions, not only on books, but also on movies, such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, that share common themes with the books read in class.                             Mridula Zaman ’13 advised, “If you don’t want to read daily and with careful attention to details, then don’t take this class.”             
Along with having different learning environments, these classes also provide different benefits and opportunities.          “In Journalism, you get to walk up to people and ask them ‘Hey, what do you think about this issue?’ which exposes you to new perspectives and builds your confidence,” said Danellie Semple ’13.                
“You learn how to become a much stronger writer, how to write with purpose, and how to not embellish your writing with unnecessary words,” said Ms. Kaczmarek. “You learn to appreciate the media and have a different way of looking at the news.” Her young journalists also have the opportunity to become editors for Argus in their senior year.         
Rachel Papert ‘13 said, “In Creative Writing, I learned how to analyze literature and discovered different ways of expressing myself through writing.”            
“The class asks students to be thoughtful readers, capable of responding with sensitivity and insight,” said Mr. Vilbig. “These students then become committed writers who are willing to find the right phrase or word to make their stories sing.”    
Ms. Lustbader agreed, “It will break barriers of fear and insecurity because the students will find their voices in writing and they will become stronger speakers and critique-ers.” Many creative writing pupils move on to take Advanced Writing, an elective that focuses on writing memoirs, letters for colleges, and autobiographies.             
Mridula Zaman ‘13 said, “American Classics helped me with my SAT because I was introduced to a variety of literature and my vocabulary was enhanced.”                Each English class has disadvantages as well as opportunities of learning new skills.            
“In Ms. Lustbader’s class, she asks you questions that can strike you emotionally and can open your mind,” said Gloria McGahan ’13. “Sometimes, though, your answers to her questions feel too personal to let other students read and comment on them.”                    Anna Yesileveskiy ’13 said, “In my American Classics classes, the weekly pop quizzes force you to read thoroughly every day and if you can’t find time to read because of tests or projects due the next day, then you fall behind easily and your grade drops.”                              “I hate doing portfolios for Journalism,” said Isabela Bertani ‘13. “Analyzing articles and writing at least a page for every one of them is not fun at all.”                     Acceptance into Journalism or American Classics does not require any previous knowledge on journalism or a past of analyzing classical books. Acceptance into Creative Writing, however, requires strong writing skills.         
According to Ms. Pumelia, some sophomores do not receive their preferred English class because of programming problems, budget cuts, and class sizes.                                                              Many sophomores have expectations that their English class and English teacher will create an enjoyable and worthwhile year, and teachers have expectations of their students as well.                                  
“I need students who show initiative and effort in the class or else they will not move on to Creative Writing 2 for second term, and instead be sent to a regular English class,” said Ms. Lustbader.                      
Mr. Milkman said, “I am very big on participation and I stress student involvement.”                          
Mr. Vilbig commented, “Just be willing to really jump into your work with both feet.”
Ms. Kaczmarek said, “ Ideally I want students who will work hard and who are curious about the world.”