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AP Seminar

Chamblee High School welcomed two new courses last year as part of an AP Capstone program to the long list of available classes for students. The first of the two — AP Seminar — introduces students, usually sophomores or juniors — to the college-prep approach of research and presentations.

“AP Seminar is a pretty rigorous class that focuses on analyzing and synthesizing information,” said junior Stella Garrett. “It’s a lot of research and writing, but with the help of [the teacher] you’re able to figure out effective ways of gathering info and reformatting it into essays.”

Garrett says she definitely found the class interesting with the special AP Capstone diploma seal and the prospect of college applications in mind.

“Seminar was enticing to me because the pathway sounded really impressive and it seemed like it would help with college as well as writing in general,” said Garrett. “I would recommend this class, but definitely not to everyone. In order to succeed in AP Seminar you need to be self-motivated, comfortable with presenting, and a strong writer.”

The class has a definite atmosphere of productivity and community as all the students work towards their final projects.

“I would recommend [the class] because it gives you a lot of freedom about the topics you choose to study,” said Amina Lomini.

“And it gives you a chance to talk about your own interests,” added Anika Karim.

“The worst part is definitely how harsh some of the deadlines are,” said Garrett. “Things can easily pile up if you aren’t mindful. The course load is pretty heavy, especially if you aren’t able to keep yourself organized.”

As far as the highly coveted AP “A” so many Chamblee students so highly regard, Garrett says the grade truly will be justified by the work put into the class. 

“I think that it’s definitely possible to get an A in AP Seminar, but I wouldn’t expect it off the bat,” said Garrett. “This class definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you do the work and you try to improve as the semester moves along, your grades should reflect your effort.”

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 that want to study what they can about the world around them before making their way into the world as college students. Junior Nate Kite reflects on the class’s approach as he finishes his third semester as a Capstone student.

“The idea behind AP Research is that you perform some kind of research project – that nobody’s done before – and essentially publish a paper on the subject,” said Kite. “This should be new research – by the time you’re done with your paper, you should be the foremost expert in your very specific niche where your paper is. And you get total control over your topic — you can do anything from music to bacteria growth.”

A seasoned researcher from his year in AP Seminar, Kite values the complete control you get over your project.

“It’s a really interesting and unique class and unlike most other classes, you have total control in what you research,” said Kite. “Seminar is less interesting to me personally but it’s still useful and I do think it’s worth taking to be able to take research.”

Senior Sahara Hetherington mirrors appreciation for the liberty in creating your own path in the class and sees the application of this class in her future.

“You do a lot of research in college so I think being exposed to it early on will help me because at least I kind of have some footing in what I am going to be doing,” said Hetherington. “It’s really interesting because you get to pick what you wanna do so it’s not like you’re just spending a year doing something you don’t value.”

Hetherington explains that the class is for a very specific type of student.

“It’s a very independent class, you have to be really on top of what you’re doing because you can get behind really easily,” said Hetherington. “You have to be self-motivated, organized and have some sort of idea of what you want to research because it’s a year-long research-dedicated class. It’s basically like a science fair but it doesn’t have to be a science experiment it can be whatever you want.”

Kite agrees the class can be difficult at times.

“I think the class is generally pretty manageable, though it can get pretty crunchy close to big deadlines,” said Kite. “I think there’s normally enough class time to get things done in class so it normally won’t add too much homework and every once in a while you get a week where you don’t really have anything to do so those turn into your free time.”

Senior Shrika Madivanan says the class gives her more than any other class, and thanks the structure and purpose of the class for her involvement and achievement.

“Most classes in school you don’t have the opportunity to do something you actually care about,” said Madivanan. “But with Research and Seminar […] what you do is something you are passionate about and spend the entire time focusing on that topic.”

Journalism: Newspaper

The perfect class for students interested in the world around them as well as uncovering the truth behind how Chamblee Charter High School functions is none other than Mr. 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 20 handpicked students each year that become a community of class discussion and, as junior James Hardy puts it, lots of “writing” and “words.”

“We write articles about what’s going on around the school, about what students are achieving, and things happening in DeKalb County or what Chamblee alumni are doing,” sophomore Keegan Brooks — the youngest member of the Blue & Gold staff — said. “And we work to better our writing skills.” He nods to Hardy.

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.

“I’m a second-year staff writer […] and I spend a lot of time interviewing alumni,” junior Catherine Cossaboom said. “I’ve always liked writing and I thought this would be a cool opportunity to have fun and get published because it’s kinda cool to be published.”

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. 

“As a junior, I have more experience in the school so I know where to go to find the information and what teachers to ask — who teaches what and who deals with what — so it’s easier to get the information you need to write,” said Hardy. “I really enjoyed writing about our rivalry game this year and definitely alumni pieces are fun because we always have a ton of people that go out from Chamblee and do amazing things.”

What makes this class so special to students like Cossaboom and Brooks 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.

“I feel like in a lot of classes we will read and analyze writing but when we do our own writing it’s mainly if not completely persuasive writing or just essays, and I feel like [this class] gives you a break from that,” said Hardy. “You learn to write as objectively as possible but also write a good opinion piece that doesn’t feel [as] formulaic like a five-paragraph essay.”

As well as write articles in a week-long cycle, at the end of each month students are required to write an Opinion Editorial — OP-ED — to share their views on different aspects of their lives, be it the Impeachment proceedings or some sushi they had last week.

“For OP-EDs, I just think it’s really fun to have a platform to write about anything you want,” said Cossaboom. “Sometimes at the end of the month I just need to rant about something and that’s a great way to do it.”

The class meets every day and communicates through GroupMe and email to keep working on their ever-multiplying stories and projects. However, senior and editor Foster Cowan finds time to edit his pod’s articles and provide guidance mostly during the school day.

“We’re during fourth period so we have the most time out of the school day to work on journalism and I’ve found that if you devote at least [two lunch periods] to your work for the class you won’t have to do much at home,” Cowan said. “If you manage your time correctly it’s a very light workload.”

Cowan looks back on his years with the newspaper and finds it extremely helpful not only with coming out of his shell but also with his connectedness to the CCHS community.

“What I’ve found with journalism is that it’s connected me to the school a lot so I’m way more in tune to school issues, I’m way more observant, I’m always looking for small things I could cover […] and also through interviews over my three years I’ve interviewed a ton of teachers and students and parents and even people outside of the school,” said Cowan. “I feel like that has not only given me skills but has also brought me closer to the community of Chamblee — having to talk to people you wouldn’t normally talk to.”

Be it the hilarious class time shenanigans with Mr. Avett or the interesting and invigorating article process, Cowan is grateful to have spent the last three years with the Blue & Gold staff.

“I feel like as a writer and a person I would not have been the same if I wasn’t in journalism.”

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 Charter High yearbook staff, a journalism class that meets in fourth period with Ms. Branca as their ringleader and senior Hattie Carter as their editor-in-chief, who feels a strong connection to the people she works with.

“I don’t wanna be cheesy but I really love these people and I like being able to work with them, so even just walking in is a good time,” Carter said. “I’m never too stressed even if I have stuff to do because we make it fun. I enjoy the things I’ve learned like time management and just being able to keep up with everyone’s stuff on top of my own is not as easy as it sounds.”

The class’s main goal — the publication of the yearbook — takes a whole team of editors and writers to get the job done.

“We are running a mini-business. We have a product that we’re selling, which is obviously the yearbook, we have deadlines, we have different roles, and it’s like a well-oiled machine,” said senior and editor India Hetherington. “And when you think stuff is hitting the fan, you just gotta work it out because at the end of the year, we need the book and we have to meet our deadlines, and you just have to keep going.”

Becoming a part of the yearbook is in part a choice you make and also a choice the people around you — like staff members and teachers — make for you.

“For yearbook, I was nominated by a teacher but if other kids in the class know you, you can be nominated through them,” said Hetherington. “But the reason I joined the staff was that it was like a mini-family […] and I always knew I wanted to do it. When I was invited I was like, ‘I finally have the chance to do something creative at school that I enjoy.’”

Other students, such as sophomore Morgan Warfield, value the class “family” and work on other aspects of the production.

“It’s my first year here and I’m just a staffer [sic] so I’m not really in charge of anything but my role is to go and interview people and write the captions and take pictures for the spread, which is what we call the pages of the book,” said Warfield. “The best part about this class is that it’s got a great sense of community and we’re all really close.”

Hetherington warns that it isn’t for everyone and isn’t always bright and rosy, but that so much can be gained from the experience.

“I’m a high-stress individual and there are times I cry because of yearbook things when I shouldn’t,” said Hetherington. “It’s really good as basically an internship so if you want that experience before college or want graphic design experience it’s good, but I definitely had to learn how to manage myself better and that [ended up being] a plus for me.”

“The Yearbook 1 kids she doesn’t really talk to because we have a kind of pyramid hierarchy so I’m the one that gets talked to the most […] and then she’ll talk to the editors the second most,” said Carter. “The Yearbook 1 kids don’t really have a great relationship with her [yet] which I think is great because as a Yearbook 1 kid you should be afraid of her, you should be afraid of disappointing her […] and it makes you a better editor.”