“The transition from Sophomore English to Junior English was a bit hard because we were doing such different things and much more at a time!”, said Junior, Hayley Nemechek. As you move up through the grades here at Valley Heights, you’ll find that many things are different, one of them being our English class.
One of the fun activities you’ll experience in these classes is what
Mrs. Yungeberg calls a “panel”. At a panel, each student will dress up as a person from the time era they are learning about and have to “be them” for class, this includes dressing the part. Of course, that's not all the students are required to do, after all this activity is worth a lot of points! Junior, Addy Bargdill, says, “We have two weeks to research and write an essay about our person, that part normally stays the same with each panel. But every time we move on to another activity, we have to do different assignments that coincide with each panel. For this one, we have to do a slideshow video and a biopoem to describe them”. The Juniors did a panel with significant figures from the 1920s on Wednesday (the 15th) and Thursday (the 16th). The room was lively and filled with laughter as each student partook in the discussions and the party refreshments.
When asked why she requires her students to take part in these panels, Mrs. Yungeberg said, “I think these activities give the students a better understanding of what they’re learning because they get a more hands-on experience”. She has had this tradition for around 12 years, that’s a lot of costumes! And before her, the past Valley Heights English teachers had also done panels. Both Mrs. Yungeberg and her students agree that this Valley Heights "tradition" is not only necessary but also an experience you can’t miss!
Article by Taylor Crook