Many students at Westside, more likely than not, have at least seen, if not taken, a few of the many surveys that have been sent out by Assistant Principal Trudi Nolin. Although many students have seen the surveys, few know the story behind them.

Beginning this past school year, the regular English 9 class was split into two classes: English 9 College bound and English 9 Honors. English 9 Honors was created so that freshmen looking for an added challenge can get one. The point of the honors class is to try and provide an opportunity at a freshman level where students who might be interested in pursuing a literary arts career can exceed the basic requirement.

Like many of the other honors classes available at Westside, English 9 Honors has additional challenges and instructions for students. There is a difference in the number of books read, the complexity of texts, the amount of writing students have to do and the writing techniques students learn.

“I think that it is good to have those opportunities available for students who want that additional challenge,” English 9 Honors instructor Andrew Easton said.

The surveys were just one of many projects English 9 Honors students had to complete. Students were asked to do a research essay that was put together to add additional challenges. A survey was one of multiple ways a student could get his data.

When first asked, few of the students in the course wanted to use a survey to collect data, but after seeing all of the results, more and more liked the idea.

English 9 Honors teachers are looking to revise the process in the upcoming years. Despite the numerous amounts of surveys sent out, part of creating a new course is learning and fixing new ideas for the future.

“I think that it has been a great success given its first year,” Easton said. “A lot of things have gone well, I think, that I really credit my other teammates [for]; they have done a phenomenal job. For [the] first time through, I think that it has gone really well.”