AP Lang
The AP course that replaces American Literature for juniors, AP Language and Composition is a college-level class that focuses on rhetorical analysis, meaning the reading list tends to gravitate towards nonfiction works. Students that choose to take this class will find themselves writing analytical essays on not what, but how authors write and what words or figurative language is used to convey their ideas. AP Lang is taught by different teachers from year to year, in the past including Zachary Welser, but almost always taught by James Demer.
AP Language is one of the most popular ELA classes for juniors at Chamblee. The course focuses on analyzing texts, gathering information for writing, and responding to AP style questions based on readings to prepare for the exam.
Cora Scherer (‘26) is in Mr. Welser’s AP Language class which she said isn’t too difficult as long as you keep up with the readings and essays.
“The classwork itself isn’t that hard, but we have timed essays a lot and tests and stuff, and those are hard,” said Scherer.
Cora Scherer said the readings typically take her an hour per night to do, but it’s not every night, which makes the workload manageable.
Emma Harron (‘26) also has Mr. Welser for AP Lang and she said, other than Mr. Welser’s harsh grading, it’s an easier AP class to take.
“It’s fairly easy, as long as you do your work and ask questions [if you’re confused],” said Harron.
Will Bolte (‘26) is also in AP Lang, but taught by Mr. Demer. He said the class wasn’t too hard, but was more difficult than his previous language classes. Bolte noted how explanative Mr. Demer was in the class, making it easier on his students. A unique aspect of Demer’s class is his focus on college preparation. He almost always assigns a project meant to guide his students through writing their own college essay ahead of time, giving them a head start on senior year college applications.
“[The class] helps you a lot, especially with your college essay,” said Bolte.
If you are looking to take AP Lang, know the workload outside of class may be heavier than previous years in an ELA class, but it will help a lot with writing and text analysis skills.
AP Lit
AP Literature and Composition is another college-level English course. Instead of AP Lang’s rhetorical analysis, AP Lit focuses on literary analysis: while rhetoric focuses more on an author’s approach to communicating a subject, literary analysis handles the plot and themes of a story, meaning the reading material is more fiction-based. Taught by teacher Kimberley Nesbitt, this course is typically taken during students’ senior year.
One important aspect to note about AP Lit is that most colleges have it under the same college credit as AP Lang, meaning getting a 4 or 5 on the AP Lang exam eliminates the need to take AP Lit (and vice versa). Despite this, AP Lit’s reputation at Chamblee has some seniors coming back for more, even after passing the AP Lang exam.
The class encompasses a wide variety of material. Each type of literature is a different unit, so if a student has trouble analyzing poems for example, they won’t have to discuss it for long. The inverse is also true, but many students find that the units don’t drag on. Most of their time is spent discussing the texts.
The homework is light with a lot of the assignments being completed in class in the form of journal entries, class discussions, and reading. Nevertheless, most of the time both in and out of class is spent interpreting fiction.
Elise Kelly (‘25) is in Ms. Nesbitt’s AP Literature class and she says it’s a good class to take, but you have to enjoy the readings.
“[Class difficulty] is hard to define on a number scale, but as long as you’re involved and you enjoy reading, you should be fine,” said Kelly.
Garrett Moore (‘25) is also in AP Lit and says the class is more comprehension and participation based rather than homework oriented.
“I’d say that a lot of the stuff with AP Lit is not necessarily comprehension, but how much you choose to participate in class,” said Moore.
Elise Kelly said Ms. Nesbitt is a good teacher who “feels very strongly about the books” read in class, Garrett Moore said he likes how Ms. Nesbitt will talk to her students on a more personal level. In deciding whether or not to take AP Literature or AP Lang, students should consider that AP Literature’s curriculum is much more based in reading analysis, whereas AP Lang is writing and reading.
Multicultural Lit
Multicultural Lit is a non-AP level course taken by seniors instead of Brit Lit or AP Lit. The course is focused on reading fiction from a wide variety of races, ethnic backgrounds, classes, genders, and orientations. The pace is slower than AP Lit due to its non AP status, which gives students more time to understand and absorb the content. A central aspect of the class is the group discussions.
Homework grades take up a substantial portion of the final average, so students must consistently complete their assignments both well and on time. The class is designed to expose students to points of view and social issues they may have never experienced before.
“It’s really a lot of notes and reading, but we don’t have homework,” said Evan Snyder (‘25).
Difficulty in one’s class is generally a deciding factor for many students.
“It’s not that hard. It’s easier than my AP Literature class was last year,” said Joshua Garrido (‘25).
If reading is not something you are interested in, then this may be an uninteresting class.
“Work is usually reading a book and taking notes on that book… It’s a pretty fun class. Some of the stories are pretty entertaining. One of the books we read was pretty entertaining and the short stories are pretty fun,” said Garrido.
Brit Lit
Brit Lit is an alternative to AP Lit similar to Multicultural Lit. The reading is mostly written by white English men, but Welser tries to take a more philosophical approach in order to make the material more accessible.
The class consists of reading checks, quizzes, group discussions, and a final project. Many students dislike the reading checks, but they are less impactful than the other categories on student’s averages because they make up less than 5 percent of the grade. The quizzes and class discussion are on the selected text, so if the material is read these sections can be scored well on. There are a lot of projects and the final project is usually writing a paper.
Many students enter the class unaware of the realities of reading older literature.
“It’s pretty easy as long as you can understand Old English. We typically have three assignments a week, but they’re pretty short and we don’t have much if any homework,” said Ella Engle (‘25).
An engaging class could make the difference between if one enjoys a class or not.
“I’d say it’s a good class to take. It’s informative. … Right now we are focusing on Hamlet, so we’re analyzing the composition of all of it and we’re about to start working on the composition of all of it,” said Engle.
Writer’s Workshop
The elective for aspiring authors, Writer’s Workshop is a class where students can hone, develop and eventually perfect their writing skills. Taught by Chamblee’s English teachers, this elective—while heavy on writing—combines a peaceful, work-at-your-own-pace environment with intense creative stimulation.
The curriculum for Writer’s Workshop primarily focuses on creative writing, such as short stories. In rare cases, it does delve into nonfiction scholarly writing, particularly persuasive essays. Students also periodically dabble in poetry, while exploring different techniques, such as writing dialogue and developing fantasy settings.
In terms of grades, students in Writer’s Workshop describe the class as an “easy A,” with a relatively light and flexible course load. That said, students typically write around one page per day.
According to its participants, the class’s environment is akin to that of a peaceful coffee shop. Students are free to listen to music while typing away at a short story or essay. Often, daily assignments are prompt-based, and on Fridays, students participate in Free-Write Fridays, where they have the option to write whatever they please. The student writers also often submit content to Chamblee’s literary magazine.
Jayla Hall (‘25) is taking writers workshop and she said it’s her favorite class, making note of the creativity and minimal work load.
“We have No Red Ink assignments every week, and then we do have projects in and outside of class. They’re not too lengthy,” said Hall. “I feel like this class is very creative, not just for people who like to write, but also for people who want to work on their presentation skills or speaking skills.”
Rax Seay (‘25) is also in Writers Workshop this year and had tried to take the class junior year, but didn’t get it in his schedule until senior year. He agreed with Hall, and said it’s not a boring ELA class.
“We had a zombie project and the beginning of the school year, we had a how-to project, and we’re currently on a true crime project, so it’s cool,” said Seay.
The main Writers Workshop teachers are Ms. Flannery, Ms. Palmer (formerly Ms. Wilkins) and Mr. Brown. Writers Workshop is exactly what it sounds like: a class where students can improve their writing senior year ahead of college in a laid-back, creative manner.
AP Seminar
Chamblee High School introduced the AP Capstone program to Chamblee in 2018. The first of the two — AP Seminar — introduces students, usually sophomores or juniors — to the college-prep approach of research and presentations. Although it is coded as an ELA class, it is an elective and students do not take AP Seminar in lieu of a core ELA class.
Mary Jury (‘27) is taking AP Seminar, the first class of the Capstone route, and says she’s glad she decided to take the class, though time management is key to the class.
“It’s fulfilling. I feel like you have a lot of valuable things that you can use later in life [that you learn in this class],” said Jury.
Madison Sullivan (‘27) said, along with time management, she’s learning how to conduct better research that’s helpful in more than just AP Seminar.
“I’ve gotten a better sense of how to conduct good research and how to cite,” said Sullivan.
Both Jury and Sullivan said the class isn’t super hard, but definitely isn’t a waste of a class.
“I’d say once you get the hang of it, it’s not that bad,” said Sullivan.
As far as the coveted AP “A” so many Chamblee students so highly regard, students say the grade truly will be justified by the work put into the class
AP Research
The next class in the AP Capstone pathway is known as AP Research, an independent project-based class made for the unique and passionate learners who want to study what they can about the world around them before making their way into the world as college students.
In the class, students spend the entire school year drafting an academic paper, researching a unique topic that has never been explored in the past. Students conduct an in-depth study over three months to answer their decided research questions. While it is tedious and time-consuming, students are given the benefit of being able to choose their topic from makeup use to the national debt to Phoebe Bridgers.
Kate Lim (‘26) said AP Research is significantly harder than AP Seminar. Because students have to take AP Seminar and Research, not just one or the other, Lim recommended students don’t take it unless they’re really looking to prepare for college writing.
“I’m glad I took it because it’ll prepare me for college writing, so if you want to get into that, then I would do it,” said Lim. “But the average person? Probably not, you don’t need to.”
On the other hand, Eitan Heled (‘25) took AP Research last year (and AP Seminar the year before) and said he’s very glad he did AP Capstone.
“Mr. Avett’s really good at getting you motivated, getting you to do what you need to do, but overall you have to have a good sense of discipline,” said Heled.
Heled also said the workload in both Seminar and Research isn’t too bad if you stay on top of your work weekly and don’t procrastinate; however, Kate Lim said keeping up with the work is actually quite difficult.
If you’re looking to take AP Seminar as a sophomore, know that AP Research will be placed in your schedule junior year!
Journalism: Newspaper
The perfect class for students interested in the world around them as well as uncovering the truth behind how Chamblee High School functions is none other than Fred Avett’s journalism class: the people behind the Blue & Gold newspaper. What the paper partakes in is much more than just interviews, however. The class consists of around twenty handpicked students each year that become a community of class discussion.
“You have to be somewhat extroverted because you’re going to have to talk to a lot of people. If you hate writing or have issues with grammar, this probably isn’t the class for you,” said Maren Merkel (‘27).
The class may be a team effort, but many specific roles and jobs keep members hardworking and independent. Staff writers work in pods under editors who scan their articles for errors and help with whatever they can in the writing process.
“As an editor, I’d say it’s semi-difficult. It’s a lot of responsibilities, but if you do them correctly, it’s very fun and rewarding,” said Teresita Trujillo (‘25).
The class has students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades as part of the staff, each with their own perspectives and experiences to bring to the table.
What makes this class so special to students like Trujillo and Merkel is its uniqueness. Students must learn an entirely new approach to writing and get out of their comfort zone with classroom “scuttlebutt” discussions and interviewing processes.
“It’s fun because everyone is friends here. We all have a solid relationship with each other and everyone can speak their mind. We always have great discussions as a class, and I feel it’s something you can’t find in any other classes,” said Maven Bolick (‘27).
As well as writing articles in a week-long cycle, at the end of each month students are required to write an opinion piece — an op-ed — to share their views on different aspects of their lives, be it the Presidential election or some sushi they had last week.
This class has 2-week cycles where the first week, interviews are conducted and the draft is written. The second week of the cycle is focused on editing and revising your draft so it’s ready for publishing.
“The amount of work definitely varies because the first week is always super busy, The next week we don’t do as much, so I feel like the distribution of work from week to week is super unbalanced,” said Bolick.
Journalism: Yearbook
If you’ve ever wondered how the massive book holding your entire school year’s worth of memories got from the minds of students into your hands in May, look no further. The “Chamhian” is the love and labor of the Chamblee High yearbook staff, a journalism class that meets in fifth period with Jennifer Andriano as their ringleader.
Being the class responsible for the Chamblee yearbook, Yearbook Staff are assigned to different groups to perform different tasks.
“[The amount of work] all depends on your group. We have different groups in yearbook that are in charge of different things. I’m in sports, and we have five people including myself. Work is spread pretty evenly between us,” said Beck Heaps (‘26).
The class’s main goal — the publication of the yearbook — takes a whole team of editors and writers to get the job done.
Much like the Blue and Gold Journalism class, students find the social aspect of the class to be a major bonus.
“This is a fun class to take. I really enjoy yearbook because you get to be with all your friends and you get to go interview different students…It’s been a good addition to my schedule and it’s a pretty stress-free class,” said Athen Blocker (‘26).
A large part of this class revolves around learning graphic design and furthering important communication skills in order to make the yearbook as best as possible.
“I’m learning how to do a lot of graphic design online. [This class] helps with your communication skills because you have to interview a lot of people. You get used to a lot of online platforms too in order to edit photos and then create captions,” said Blocker.
SAT Prep
For those caught in the throes of College Board testing, the SAT Prep elective allows students to skip the inconvenience and cost of an independently-taught SAT Prep course and take one through the school. Usually, the class is taught by a math or English teacher each semester, switching classes in-between.
While SAT Prep encompasses content found on the actual SAT, the class is also designed to familiarize students with the test format itself. Typically, this involves taking timed practice tests from the College Board Official SAT Study Guide, which helps to build student confidence prior to test day.
The structure of this class consists of one semester of English preparation, taught by Ms. Arrington, and one semester of math preparation, taught by Ms. Clark. This class is only in 3rd period for both subjects. The math class helps students refresh on concepts commonly seen on the SAT, and the English class’s main focus is the vocab and comprehension questions students may need help on before they take the big exam.
Ben Smith (‘26) is currently in the English SAT prep class, taught by Ms. Arrington. He said the class is really easy and he recommends students take it.
“We do vocab quizzes, practice tests, and sometimes Khan Academy,” said Smith. “And we have a lot of class time to do our work.”
Taking the SAT can be a nerve-wracking and serious thing for high school students, so this class is meant to prepare and sharpen the skills of those planning on taking the SAT, most commonly juniors. If you are feeling unprepared or just stressing after receiving your PSAT score, this may be the class for you! It’s a great, easy class opportunity at Chamblee, offered solely to ensure students do well on their big exam.