Student Senate designs first course fair
West holds first course fair aimed at inclusion and equity for students registering for the upcoming school year.
Art teacher, Christian Aanastead, talks to a group of students about joining art classes in their future years at West High.
January 23, 2020
A course fair, composed of an arrangement of departments and classes, came together during an elongated lunch period on Jan. 22. Students were able to survey each booth by asking questions to teachers and former students, as well as look at flyers or brochures displaying a short synopsis of class material and prerequisites. The fair is targeted at underclassmen who are interested in learning about other classes or want to explore other areas of study.
The executive board of the Student Senate planned the fair with the hope of getting more students involved with more challenging and diverse classes. Vice president, Paras Bassuk ‘21 worked alongside with the entire board as well as the administration to set the fair into motion.
“This was our idea from day one, to create equity and relay course registration and later on college planning, especially the way that information is spread to the student population,” Bassuk said. “This is just one way of leveling the playing field and making things more accessible and giving resources to students.”
This is just one way of leveling the playing field and making things more accessible and giving resources to students.
— Paras Bassuk '21
The plan started small, but grew quickly as it spread from the senate to the principal and later to the faculty. Teachers were enthusiastic about this new idea centered around improvements for student education and equity. During the day, teachers were required to discuss course options for the coming school year in hope to clarify questions and inform the student community. Upperclassmen that had previously taken a course also came into classes to tell students about their future options.
Lucy Westmeyer ’21 commented that other students seemed to be one of the most helpful factors in deciding her next steps. Since the upperclassmen are able to view classes through a student lense and accurately describe the course in a way other students can relate to, students, such as Westmeyer, believe advice is best received this way.
Westmeyer also states, “I think it’s really cool that you get to see all aspects of the school and stuff that you aren’t necessarily exposed to unless you’re taking those classes or if you don’t have space in your schedule.”
Bassuk hopes to continue this fair, as it is helpful to younger students searching for more information and experiences. Bassuk also talks of adding information about college later in the year or to the next fair.
“We hope to continue this fair with the message of creating equity and the way students get information about their courses,” Bassuk said. “I think it will continue to develop and hopefully we can do something like this next year.”
