With the vast multitude of classes provided at H-F and only seven periods in a day, there are often courses that get lost in the mix, unable to reach the number of students enrolled necessary for eligibility to run. 

    This upcoming school year, one of the classes in risk of this is Advanced Placement European History. “There are many courses offered each year that do not have enough enrollment to run. AP Euro has run some years and not in others. As of today, we don’t know if AP Euro will run for next year,” shared Nick Anello, social science department chair. 

     AP Euro is a College Board course on modern European history that starts in 1500 and goes to the present.  The class is taught by history teacher John Schmidt and is run as an elective for history-enthused students, setting it aside from other history classes. 

     “I think it goes a lot more in depth really, and you find out more ideologies, religions and social movements. Instead of putting all the focus on big events like wars, we get to watch how humanity has progressed,” said David Schlismann, a senior currently enrolled in the course.

     The interest of the students makes the course more pleasurable for the teacher too.

     “The content itself and the idea that it’s an elective means only students who are interested in the course will take it, and it’s typically a pretty small group which lends itself to good conversations. Of course, it is AP level, so there’s still going to be some stress, specifically for those with intentions to take the exam, but it still tends to be more laid back and conversational as it’s not a required course,” said Schmidt. 

     Both the students and the teacher agree the best part about the class is the conversation. 

     “I really love the conversations and discussions with students who are genuinely interested and curious about the past in new ways that I haven’t thought about before. Frankly it’s easy and enjoyable to teach because of the environment of people who are all so deeply intrigued by the topic,” said Schmidt. 

     With the courses offered continuously increasing over the years and the new elimination of the gym waiver, low enrollment causing classes to drop is inevitable. 

     “Students are out of slots and, of course, going to be more interested in newer programs,” presumes Schmidt.