Electives can either put more pressure on students or give them a much needed break. Some students want an easy “A”, while others look for more of a challenge. From fashion to debate, Langley’s intensive electives cover a broad spectrum of interests. After some digging, we have gathered the latest on some of the popular electives to help your elective decisions for next year a little bit easier.

Fashion

The fashion department is famous for their highly-anticipated fashion show and colorful posters that adorn the walls around their pink and purple classroom. “Fashion is student-driven, 100 percent,” says the course teacher, Ms. Tricia Poythress, “ [it’s] an elective that you have to be interested in.” Sophomore Nika Rahini describes the class as “experiencing the life of a business professional and learning about the market industry.”

Debate

Controversial topics, strong arguments and answers on the fly—just some of the things that characterize Forensics and Debate. Taught by Mr. Gifford Krivak, debate is an elective as well as a club. “Debate is different. It requires talking in front of the class and is performance based,” says Mr. Krivak, who also coaches the debate team, an optional after-school activity for students in the class, with Mr. Christopher Rademacher.

Orchestra

Vibration-sensing lights flow across the gymnasium ceiling as they respond to the crescendos of the strings. This is what you may have seen at the winter concert, which offered a sneak peak at this musical elective. Performing throughout the year, the orchestra carefully chooses their music to match the season. “Orchestra demands a lot of time because you are required to have private lessons, and there are outside activities like car washes, fundraisers, and banquets,” said junior Lily Jaraha.  With the department consisting of different groups based on skill level, students are pushed in order to receive excellent marks from judges at competitions.

Band

Band centers the entirety of its curriculum on the essence of the pieces they opt to play over the course of the year. In this way, it is a highly dynamic class that incorporates a different style of learning, one which is focused on the honing of musical knowledge and talent—something not offered by most electives. The band director, Mr. Andrew Gekoskie sees music as “a foreign language.” He believes very strongly in the hands-on nature of the class. “It’s all about the music. You need to be interested in the course because we are the only classroom where passing with a 70% doesn’t work. Each player has to do their part,” Gekoskie says. Band’s unique role at Langley, one that consists of playing at football games and other special events, along with its focus on the advancement of each player’s skill, certainly sets it apart from other electives.

Additional reporting and writing by Ashley Ryan and Kolbe McKee