Registering for Success

Students finalize their class schedules for the next school year

A.S.A.P. Some students find it weird that class registration is not closer to the end of the year. However, there is a good reason for this. “We need to get the registration numbers as soon as possible because that determines how many staff we hire and in what areas,” principal Mr. Todd Mueller said. “If we don’t have that information you cannot start the hiring process and would miss out on all the good available candidates.”

Registering for 2022-2023 academic year’s classes can be a difficult task. Trying to balance class prerequisites, personal interests, and keeping a mind on one’s future does not make it the easiest decisions. Despite the hard choices, this year the process itself was straightforward.
“You get the registration sheet and the class sheet, you fill that out, make your registration appointment, and go to the appointment,” junior Audrey Pyke said. “Then your counselor helps you get registered for all your classes.”
There are several ways to handle getting all the students registered for their classes. Although the method was fairly simple this year, there are still better ways it could have been implemented to improve efficiency.
“Registration this year did not work as we would have liked it too,” principal Mr. Todd Mueller said. “We were forced to go back to the old way of each individual student registering in a meeting with their counselor. I would like to make registration able to be done on the computer. We originally tried it that way this year, but glitches within the system made it unable to be used. This would greatly speed up the registration process and would be more efficient.”
Problems relating to registration are varied and depend on the person. One problem is that some students want to take more classes than can fit into a schedule.
“I wish there was one more period because I want to do an extra, fun class,” freshman Maya Thorne said. “That’s the only thing I would really change.”
Another problem that could crop up would be the opposite. A common problem could be having too much blank space and not enough classes of interest.
“I find it difficult because there are only a couple of classes I want to do, because I only have a few interests,” Pyke said. “Once I find out my few classes I’m done.”
Issues also come up when too many students decide they want to take the same class. For example, this year the food classes were overflowing with requests.
“Initially we allow all students to register for the course, because we never know what course is going to fill up,” School Counseling Department Head Dr. Melissa Hansen said. “So in the case of foods we had over two hundred requests for foods, and because of the size of the classroom we can only accommodate one hundred ninety two requests. We gave preference to seniors and then we did a lottery drawing for the juniors.”
Dr. Hansen wants students to know counselors are trying their best to honor schedule requests and regrets that they are unable to enroll the students in their preferred classes.
“That we are sorry that they are not able to get their request,” Dr. Hansen said. “We hope that when the buildings divide we should be able to accommodate all the requests.”
What classes a student takes can help to prepare them for their future. With the school’s wide selection of classes, most students can find classes tailored to their goals for life after GHS. For example, Pyke is interested in entering the culinary field so her schedule is filled with classes such Foods and Nutrition and Pro-Start to prepare for the future.
Even with the school’s variety of classes, there are still some subjects the school is lacking in. Some of these include Asian languages, self-defense, stress management, environmental, animal care, and clothing design classes.
“I would like to see more technology classes,” Mr. Mueller said. “However, that also is a difficult area to find instructors in as those people generally can make more money in the private sector.”
Given that choosing classes can be difficult, it makes sense that some students change their minds after they have registered. Luckily, the school anticipates for students to be indecisive.
“It is very common, which is why we do allow for a drop-n-add week,” Mr. Mueller said. “But once the class starts I agree that kids have to stay in the class, because otherwise there is no good time to still allow them to drop it.”
Despite possible stress relating to not knowing what classes to choose, registration can be exciting. When a student registers for a class that fits them well, anticipation for the class is bound to make them enthusiastic.
“I’m really excited to do the art classes because I want to see what it will be like, what the teacher will be like, what the drawing techniques will be like,” Thorne said. “So, I’m really looking forward to that for next year.”