Class Registration Station: Our Staff Recommendations

Class registration can be difficult for anyone, especially when you have no idea what you would like to do. Some classes fit certain students better than others, and that’s okay! If you’re still searching for classes to sign up for or seeing which ones to avoid, check out these recommendations by our staff! 

Classes We Recommend: 

Game Development / Advanced Game Development – William Zheng 

“Game Development is a fun class that can ease students from other stressful classes. The teacher provides fun and interactive activities along with creating various games. One of my favorite projects was on Construct 3 where I, along with a group of friends, developed a slime wave defense game (I hope someone continues the slime game legacy). This class doesn’t require any prior development skills, which allows you to jump right in with the activities and learn the process along the way. When heading towards Advanced Game Development, the teacher allows you to have even more creative freedom as you are able to create more long-term projects, like a multi-part “Dungeons & Dragons” game that my group and I were submitted for a competition. Overall, this class was my favorite and I enjoyed every moment from creating ideas all the way to the final product.” 

Yoga – Emily King 

“Taking Yoga as a P.E. credit is a great way to wind down after a stressful class or test. During my experience, we completed many breathing exercises and beneficial stretching techniques. When the weather became warmer, we went on walks around the school. The atmosphere is calming and you often take part in mindful meditations that help clear your mind. Additionally, the workload is very light, making it a class that you can easily do well in.”

Law l and ll – Frederick Smith 

“Law class at Blake is a challenging, yet fun experience. Be warned: the coursework is heavy for an elective, yet the class is still quite enjoyable. Students go on a field trip each semester to locations such as the US Capitol or Montgomery County Courthouse, which is both interesting and educational. The class is definitely easier for students who have taken AP Government, and there is some overlap between the two courses.”

AP Seminar + AP Research – Nikhil Paranjape 

 “These classes are part of the AP Capstone Program, which is offered in only a few high schools in the county—Blake happens to be one of them! Both courses allow students to improve their writing, presenting, time management, and collaboration skills. It also looks good on a resume or college application.”

Piano – Ray Njassu 

“Piano is a very self-motivated and chill class. It’s a nice way to wind down during the day and a good way to use school time to learn a new skill for free. I still play piano as a hobby now.”

AP Psychology – Samuel Lamboni 

“Honestly, I’m thankful that I took AP Psych this year. The teacher I have, Ms. Hajjar, is very fun and bubbly, making the lessons very enjoyable. Her teaching style also involves a lot of the class, and since it is psychology, she is able to involve pretty much anyone to “pick their brains.” 

AP Chemistry – Nicolette Tracewski

“It led me to become an intended chem major for college. I took it my sophomore year and loved the math involved in the course. The labs were really cool (much cooler than honors chem labs).”

Yearbook – Ean Ayuk 

“Yearbook forces one to be involved, to know what’s happening at Blake, and to be part of what’s happening. The end product: a real, tangible book that’ll be purchased, held flipped, through, and cherished by hundreds.”

Classes That Didn’t Live Up to Our Expectations: 

Foundations of Computer Science – Nathan Suddleson

“If you still need your technology credit, this is not the class to take. While there are a few highlights—like building Lego robots—they are few and far between. The class runs at a painstakingly slow pace with dull, tedious assignments, and you’re often left with absolutely nothing to do for long periods of time. If you have any previous experience with any level of coding or computers, you’ll be better served by taking an AP Computer Science class. If not, you’ll be much more engaged and interested in a different engineering or technology course.”

Yoga – Kimberley Trang 

“As a freshman, I decided to finish my P.E. credit as soon as possible, so I signed up for Yoga. My initial thought was that Yoga would be an easy and relaxing class. I definitely don’t regret taking yoga, but it was vastly different than what I imagined it would be like. There were days when we would do entire workouts which were called “workout Wednesdays,” and I would actually sweat. We would also have packets to fill out that would be checked for completion. The class was also graded based on our participation and effort. At times, I felt like the class was a bit strict because we wouldn’t get 10/10 like other P.E. classes for being active, and often, students in this class would get 9/10 or lower if they didn’t participate.”

AP Government – Keilly Escobar

“I’ve known for a couple of years that I want to major in political science so I was excited to take AP Government. It is a great way to study American government, and I knew that a harder class was what I needed. Since starting this class, I’ve just become very stressed. It’s a lot to study for, and I spent my weekends doing it. I’m currently not meeting my own expectations, and I had hoped that I would’ve been more excited to take this class. Hopefully, I create better habits and studying methods.”

Honors Precalculus – Rose O’Croinin

“If you want to take higher-level math after Algebra 2, Honors Pre-Calculus is not the class for you. This is a very challenging class, demanding high amounts of homework and studying outside of the school day. This class is extremely fast-paced.”