Preview of Electives Night garners student interest

Drawn by the colorful performances and encouraging shouts of high school students, the incoming class of 2016 encountered the vast array of electives offered at the school during the Preview of Electives Night on Jan. 30. The event lasted from 6:45 to 8:30.

Principal Jeff Anderson began the night by introducing performances in the McAfee Center. Juniors Ishaan Kolluri and Shauray Agrawal performed a parody of Old Spice commercials to draw interest for the speech and debate team.

Drama students followed by acting snippets of some of their past shows, including “Grease” and “Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.” The tech crew drew laughter from the audience by hanging a sign from the ceiling that said “Join Tech.”

“We want to show how much enthusiasm and warmth we have in theatre,” senior Ariella Yendler said. “There are so many things you can do in theatre, not just on stage, and drama really welcomes people who want to express themselves as individuals.”

The Symphonic Orchestra played a piece by Tchaikovsky. The Chamber Choir performed “Voice Dance” to a drum beat and the Saratoga Wind Ensemble finished with a minute and a half of a symphony by David Maslanka.

In the Large Gym students and parents watched performances by members of the Winterguard and spirit squads before proceeding to the Small Gym to view booths of electives. Electives included the world languages, music programs, Media Arts program, journalism and visual arts.

Junior Justin Hang represented the baritone section of band, hoping to recruit new members.

“We’re looking for people dedicated to band, especially low-brass instruments because we’re in need of low brass,” he said.

However, he noticed that many students who already planned on joining band did not bother to sign up on the list on the booth.

Woodshop teacher Doug Muntz was present to introduce his class to the eighth graders, but there were not as many interested students as he would have liked.

“It’s about what I expect for this school because everybody has electives chosen [already],” Muntz said. “One period of [woodshop] is hard to fill.”

Still, he is looking for students possibly interested in engineering and who want to practice making three-dimensional projects.

Coaches of sports such as volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse and football were also present in the cafeteria to introduce students and parents to their teams.

Crowds of students and parents gathered around the booths to look at examples of student work and inquire about the activities.

Janani Velchamy, a current eighth grader, expressed interest in woodshop, speech and debate and art.

“I think [Electives Night] was overall pretty good,” she said. “Everything was explained pretty well, and all my questioned were answered thoroughly.”