By Skye Milburn
Apart from the required classes to take at Benicia High School, it’s important to make the most out of the options available. High school is about exploring interests and gaining life skills, and BHS offers a good variety of elective classes. It’s important to know which ones will be genuinely useful for your future. Here are the top elective classes every student should consider taking before leaving BHS.
Personal Finance: The majority of high school students leave highschool knowing how to do a good amount of math. However, most of them have no idea how to manage their money or a bank account.
Personal finance teaches vital life skills, such as budgeting, saving, investing, using credit wisely, and even doing taxes. Economics, which is a required course here at BHS, also covers some aspects of personal finance but doesn’t go as in depth as the actual class. Personal finance is important because it teaches financial literacy at a young age, and students who take the class are less likely to mismanage student loans or fall into debt.
Debate: While not a class offered at BHS, the debate club can be an amazing way to prepare for your future. In almost every career, and in college, being able to communicate confidently and clearly is extremely important. In the Speech and Debate Club/team, students are able to learn how to respond with some authority and to respond to questions while under pressure.
The fear of public speaking affects a lot of people, and the best way to overcome this fear is with practice. This extracurricular also helps students with future job interviews and presentation skills, boosting communication skills needed for a job interview or every day interactions.
Programming/Robotics: Technology is a vital part of the modern world—no matter what career you choose. Computer science classes like “Intro to Programming” and “Intro to Robotics” are a great way for students to learn the fundamentals of technology. In these classes, students will learn logic, problem solving, and how software works.
Tech-skills are a basic part of almost every career these days, and those with even a little bit of knowledge about computer programming and coding will definitely have the competitive advantage over those who don’t when trying to get hired.
AP Psychology: The psychology course here at Benicia High School offers knowledge about how people think, behave, and interact with not only each other but also their environment. Students will explore the brain, emotions, and mental health.
Understanding human behavior is essential for every job. For example, one would be more capable of helping customers or understanding how to deal with one’s emotions after a hard day at work. Students who take this course will be better prepared for dealing with people in general and understanding why they act the way they do.
Art/Music: Creative courses such as Art or Music will often be overlooked as the “just for fun classes”, but in reality these classes teach some of the best life skills needed for every student’s future. These skills include innovation, teamwork, and emotional expression.
Creativity is one of the most important skills employers look for, and classes such as these can lead to lifelong passions for some students. These classes are also a good way to have a little break from the academic pressure provided by other courses.
The best elective classes here at BHS are subjective, but these courses will provide students with a well rounded education and overall prepare them for the future. Since there’s a limited number of electives students can take due to the required courses, it’s important to choose ones that will challenge you, excite you, and that ensure you graduate ready for the real world.
beniciapaw.com 