At Annandale HS, many students often feel overwhelmed from their core classes like science or math, so when it’s time to spend time in a fun elective class, it can often be very exciting and relieving.

These electives serve as breathers for students, but they also may function as something more: gateways to new hobbies or passions without any real risk.

“I think it’s a chance to try something new. You’re still in high school, where you’re in a lower-stakes environment, and nothing terrible’s gonna happen if you mess up. You just try again,” Erin Mahoney said.

Erin Mahoney mainly teaches photography, teaching photography classes 1-4 this year as well as 3D art 2-4. She is extremely passionate about photography as well as art in general, and always encourages students to give it a try, believing that students gain new perspectives on the art through the courses.

“[The photography classes] are cool because you get to learn traditional photography…things you wouldn’t normally do on your iPhone. It really gives students a chance to step back and take time…and appreciate the art of photography,” Mahoney said.

Throughout her photography courses, students are taught photography in a greater depth beyond what they already know, learning traditional photography that utilizes a darkroom and film. Going through this process, students are taught that photography is deeper than taking a few pictures on a phone; it is a genuine art that requires much planning, passion, and effort.

Of course, like with every kind of art, there is always a challenge to doing it right. The challenge with photography is more in the effort it takes to create art that you are satisfied with, as it can take a lot of time and effort to keep reattempting it.

“I think it’s challenging, but I don’t think challenging means ‘hard’ or ‘bad,’” Mahoney said. “Hopefully it’s something that you’re enjoying so that you’re always willing to try again.”

Similarly, Theresa Souther, the teacher of Intro to Culinary Arts, believes that the right amount of seriousness and resilience is what it takes to be successful in her class.

“I think if people take it seriously, they can learn a lot,” Souther said.

In this elective, students first learn about kitchen safety and sanitation, followed by cooking. They begin with the basics, learning how to use knives and make things like salsa, veggies and dip, cookies, etc. As the year progresses, the food they make becomes more complicated, building up to a final project at the end of the year in which they create a 3-course meal to serve to teachers.

Surprisingly, there is a lot of theory, science, and technique involved in the course, but any student could be successful as long as they put the effort into it. Many take the course because it initially seems very fun, but they are often unaware of how much effort and comprehension will go into their learning.

“There are some challenging [aspects], but it’s like any other class—as much as you bring to it, you’re gonna get out of it,” Souther said.

Besides cooking, the course teaches students about the history of food, weaving in culture and other background contexts. There are also basic research projects incorporated into the curriculum, building skills that would benefit any student, regardless of their interest in culinary arts.

“You can’t always take every elective, but I encourage anybody who’s interested to take it if they can fit it in their schedule,” Souther said.

In a similar fashion, Mahoney advised that students “choose an elective that [they] feel excited about…an elective that [they] are excited to try.”

While many students enroll in fun electives like photography and culinary arts because of the general appeal of the curriculum, they end up with an enriching and interesting experience that teaches them many useful lessons, whether they choose to pursue that path or not. It is always encouraged that students explore their different interests in high school, as it is a short but rare period of time where you are invited to give everything a shot with no risk attached.

“Try something you’ve never tried before,” Mahoney recommends. “The time is now.”