Have you ever asked yourself: What impact do the classes I take in
high school have on my future success? Why take electives? Can't the
school day just be shortened to include only standard classes?
Electives can have a big impact on your future. Aside from the standard
curriculum
,
you get to learn about a variety of different fields by taking elective
classes. For many students, this helps them pick their major in
college, and ultimately, helps them decide on a career.
High
school is the time to explore and look at all kinds of different
options. Novi High School offers a wide variety of classes to provide
students the opportunity to explore. Graduation standards require
students to take classes in the four core subjects as well as physical
education, health, world language and visual performing or applied arts.
This provides an opportunity for this exploration for every student.
Josh Buscher, a graduate of Novi High School, class of 2009, has seen the benefits of this kind of exposure.
“My
interest in film started in high school with my broadcast/television
news classes,” said Buscher. “Although I did not think that this would
lead to a career, working on the daily Cats Eye News taught me to work
together with a team of people to produce a daily show in a short period
of time. Cats Eye also gave me the opportunity to get involved with
production and eventually led me to select my major at
Michigan State University. I was fortunate to be able to have the freedom to take classes that interested me. ”
Now
Buscher can boast of winning first place in the East Lansing Film
Festival, one of the largest and most diverse film festivals in
Michigan.
“In the 48/5 contest we had only 48 hours to create a
quality
film working with a team of diverse people,” said Buscher. “Each team
was provided a genre, a line of dialogue and a prop to be included in
the film. Because of my experience, I had many roles in the production
including executive producer, art director, props master and production
assistant. It was a great experience that will help me in launching a
career in film and the best part was taking first place!”
Created
in 1997, ELFF is dedicated to bringing quality foreign and independent
files to Michigan. The festival is a cooperative effort with the City of
East Lansing and Michigan State University.
And electives do matter, said Buscher, adding that he would encourage students to think about taking a variety of electives
“The
only way you get a taste for different subjects is by exploring a
variety of interests,” he said. “The benefit to them is that they, too,
might find their passion and begin to build a career around it.”
Submitted by Noah Buscher, younger brother of Josh Buscher, who can be reached at
ncbuscher@gmail.com.
