With the second grading period coming to an end, many students are having to truly study and prepare for upcoming tests and projects. The end of the second grading period is usually the time each year when people get into the rhythm with how classes work and solidify their opinions on classes. Earlier last week, a survey was sent out containing many different questions about classes and even subjects as a whole. Here are the results of that survey:
Favorite Core Subject
The favorite core subject was history, receiving 35.7% of the votes from the survey. Math and science were close behind, with science receiving 25% of the votes and math receiving 23.2%. Both math and science are fun subjects that a lot of majors relate to, but they contain some of the hardest classes that you can take in high school, so it makes sense that history came out on top
Favorite Non-Core Subject
The favorite non-core subject was PE, receiving 28.6% of the votes. STEM came in second with 14.3%, and art and theater tied for third with both having 12.5% of the votes. It is self-explanatory why PE was first by far; PE classes are a fun break from difficult classes, and you get to have fun with your friends playing sports. STEM classes have helpful teachers and projects in the classes are always fun challenges, while students love to express themselves in art and theater classes.
Most Fun Class
There was a tie for first place, as ACC Ceramics with Mr. Laury and STEM: Intro to Engineering with Mrs. Young received the same amount of votes. Additionally, there was a three way tie for second place: ACC Accounting with Mr. Black, Geometry with Mr. Burdge, and ACC Lifesaving with Mr. Radomski all received the same amount of votes. From what I’ve heard from Chaminade students and the classes I’ve taken myself, these classes rarely have a dull moment, cementing their places on the survey.
Most Difficult Class
Honors Chemistry with Mr. McMenamy was considered the most difficult with over double the votes of all the second place classes. Honors Precalculus with Bro. Eppy, AP Calculus AB with Bro. Eppy, AP Biology with Mrs. Birdsell, and AP World History with Dr. Neels all tied for second. Chemistry itself is a difficult subject with many intricacies and hard-to-understand concepts, and Mr. McMenamy’s tests require students to articulate these concepts along with their details, which can make the class very difficult. James Eisenhart (‘26) said, “Dr. Neels is a great teacher, but his class is incredibly difficult because of the amount of work required for the course,” and this rings true for many of these difficult classes.
Class with the Least Homework
STEM: Intro to Engineering with Mrs. Young, Composition with Mr. Murphy, Art I with Mrs. Laury, and F.I.T. with Mr. Thornburg all tied for first place. Honors American Literature with Dr. Karcher came in second by only one vote. All of these classes have assignments and assessments, but they are done in class, resulting in little to no homework. Dr. Karcher’s homework is mostly reading, which can be done pretty quickly if you focus.
Class with the Easiest Exam
F.I.T. with Mr. Thornburg was voted the class with the easiest exam, while Life in Christ with Mr. Stout came in second. There isn’t much to say about these responses; a class can still be engaging and teach students a great deal without havinga particularly difficult exam.
Class with the Best Teaching
Geometry with Mr. Burdge was voted first with twice as many votes as the classes in second place. Honors Chemistry with Mr. McMenamy, Honors World History with Dr. Knickman, AP World History with Dr. Neels, and World History with Dr. Schmitt were all voted second. It is definitely interesting that many of the Chaminade world history teachers were voted highly for the best teaching, but it makes sense if you’ve taken any of their classes. Senior Alex Cattoor (‘24) said, “Mr. McMenamy is a great teacher who breaks concepts down into simpler steps to make problem-solving easier.” This sentiment perfectly encapsulates why students voted for these teachers. Chemistry, Geometry, and World History have a lot of complicated concepts, so teachers that can explain these concepts well (like Mr. McMenamy or Dr. Neels) are needed for these classes.
Most Difficult AP Test
Coming in first, AP World History with Dr. Neels had 33% of the votes, and in second, AP US History with Dr. Neels had 16.7% of the votes. AP History tests can take around four hours to take, and the tests themselves contain numerous sections. You need to write a whole DBQ essay for these kinds of tests, and that’s not even mentioning the many short answers and additional essays that have to be written. Dr. Neels still does a great job preparing students for these exams, so you shouldn’t be worried by the daunting details of these exams.
