Course selection for next school year has begun! It began with a required Spartan Hour review of details about course selection on Tuesday, February 11th. The course selection window lasts from February 10th until the 23rd, which leaves little time for students to make meaningful class decisions.
A choice that some middle-schoolers make this year will affect them for their entire high school careers. This selection concerns language courses and which language to take as a course.
Many students at the high school in Orono choose to take Spanish as their primary language course, but Orono High School also offers German and Chinese, both of which are options worth considering.
“I chose Spanish because it is most commonly spoken out of the languages offered at Orono” explained Spanish IV student Nolan Merdan.
Not all students take Spanish, however.
“Chinese is more difficult than I thought it would be when signing up for classes” Chinese II student Edward Loberg said. Despite this, Loberg is glad he took it because, “the class and teacher are very fun and it is a good challenge and experience.”
German III student Adam Haislet explained that he chose to take German I because “it seemed fun and [more simple] than the other languages.”
Now in German III, his views have shifted.
“The class is still fun, but a little more difficult than when we first started. Mainly since we dive further into grammar this year” Haislet said.
Spanish is likely the most useful in everyday scenarios out of all of the language options at Orono. However, if you need to speak a specific language instead of Spanish, choose German or Chinese based on your needs. Some online courses in alternate languages can be available for students with unique language needs, but choosing these is very uncommon.
Here is some information that may help with your selection if you do not want to choose the standard Spanish route. Chinese classes will focus more on pronunciation and less on grammar. German students focus more on grammar and vocabulary than Chinese students.
Another great way to get information and a teacher’s perspective on each Orono language course is to take a look at The Spartan Speaks Interactive Course Guide. On it, you can find difficulty ratings and a teacher description attached to each language class, as well as every course offered at Orono.