WOHS Might Do Away With Freshman Seminar

WEST ORANGE, Nj — There has been discussions among the staff to get rid of the class, Freshman Seminar.

Freshman Seminar is a class that is commonly considered annoying, taking up half of the year to figure out where things in the school are which takes freshman about a week to figure out. However, it is a required class for freshman and is taken nonetheless.

While Freshman Seminar can seem somewhat useless, it does have some benefits. Freshman Seminar shows freshman the school and lets them get familiar with navigating it.

“It’s an opportunity for freshman to get to know the school, its policies, and procedures and develop the foundation for successful habits,” said Creative Writing, Freshman Seminar and English teacher Mr. Tonio Favetta about the class.

Current Freshman Seminar student Devin Triplin agrees with him, saying that Freshman Seminar is a place “to learn about the school and the activities that are going on.”

“It’s just a free period,” Triplin also said, contributing to the idea that Freshman Seminar is unnecessary.

Mr. Favetta believes the course does need to improve. Since this class can be taken both semesters, Mr. Favetta thinks the second half should be changed “to more advanced ideas and ideals. It’s important for students in the second half to talk about social justice issues since they should already have study skills down.”

However, current Sophomore Veronica Bratsos claims “it is kind of unfair how people who have it second semester don’t have the opportunity to learn about the school in a class like the people who have it first semester. When you aren’t in freshman seminar first semester, you have to figure things out by yourself.”

Bratsos, as a student who has experienced the class during the second semester, doesn’t find the course helpful at all.

“It’s really only beneficial to those who have it first semester,”mentioned Bratsos when talking about why it should be an optional elective.