Every school year brings in new beginnings, faces and classes; this year is no exception with the introduction of two new Advanced Placement (AP) classes: AP Seminar and AP Human Geography (APHG). While APHG is a standalone elective course students can take, AP Seminar is the prerequisite class for the AP Capstone Program.
The process to bring these two new AP classes to Buena started last year and was a collaboration between teachers and administrators. Buena is currently the only school in Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) to offer both the AP Capstone program (which includes AP Seminar) and APHG, making Buena stand out with the various AP classes it now offers.
“It was initiated by a group of teachers on campus who were passionate about continuing to increase our AP offerings at our school,” assistant principal of curriculum and instruction Tiffany Dyer said. “[It is] also a way to make Buena a little bit more competitive as far as with other high schools in the district.”
Taught by English and history teacher Jessica McCown, APHG is taught during second period and has 16 people, mainly underclassmen who are taking their first AP class. APHG is an elective class, meaning it is not exclusive to one grade level. While anyone can take it, freshmen in particular are encouraged because the content learned in the class can help them in their future required history courses. Plus, it is a more accessible class for first time AP students.
“Part of the goal with AP Human Geography is that there may be students that are willing to try that course who maybe didn’t ever think about trying an AP class, and then they take it and they’re like ‘okay I can do this,’” Dyer said.
APHG deals with a little bit of everything when it comes to both physical geography and how humans interact with the world around them. Mainly, the class looks at different patterns, cultures, systems and more that humans have impacted and engaged with. From looking at maps of dairy farms, to analyzing where and why they’re most concentrated in certain areas to looking at international shipping lanes and globalization later in the year, it is safe to say that APHG covers a map full of globally spanning content.
“We get to look at pictures and maps and do these really cool activities,” McCown said. “Everyone can learn something and if anyone wants to challenge themselves, then they definitely should take it, especially freshmen.”
While APHG is its own standalone class, AP Seminar, taught by English teachers Antoinette Perez and Kelly Herrera, has replaced English 10 Honors and is also part of the AP Capstone program.
The AP Capstone Diploma Program consists of students passing two specific, rigorous AP classes, among other requirements, to earn the AP Capstone Diploma. In order to complete the program, students must complete AP Seminar, taken during sophomore year, and AP Research, which is still in progress to become a class at Buena and be taken during senior year. Students must also take four additional AP classes of their choosing, all of which must be passed with a three or higher on the AP test and pass the class itself in order to complete the program.
AP Seminar is the initial course taken to complete the program and is a research heavy class that teaches key skills to help make the transition to AP Language and AP Literature smooth for students. While there are already benefits of taking an AP class, such as college credit and challenging oneself, applying to college with the completion of the Capstone Program can help students stand out in an already competitive environment.
“It is more like triple [the reward]. You are prepared for college and you could have credit and GPA boost. All the things you’re looking for. If you’re willing to work hard, you might as well reap the benefits of all of them here,” Perez said.
Alex Levin, a sophomore at Buena, is taking both APHG and AP Seminar and expresses the connection the students and teachers have in the new classes.
“We’re the guinea pigs, so this is our first time doing it, [and] this is [the teachers] first time doing it, so we’re kind of learning together, which I think is really cool,” Levin said.
While the new AP classes are in different subjects, the excitement for them among admin, teachers and students is mutual.
“We often times think that students aren’t ready for that kind of rigor and challenge until [they are] upper classmen and I disagree with that,” Perez said. “This gives them the chance to be challenged now, be prepared and feel a lot more confident in themselves as readers, as writers, as critical thinkers, [and] as contributing members of society.”
