Registration preparation has begun at Heritage, starting with counselor presentations in the auditorium. In late January and early February, students will pick their classes for the 2025-2026 school year. Registration comes with lots of difficult emotions and choices.
Heritage counselor, Ms. Stephanie Fast, says the most important things for students to consider are “the required courses and what level they want to take the required classes at.”
At Heritage, there are two categories of classes, the core subjects (English, math, social studies, science) and electives.
Fast advises to especially track your elective credit. “Generally, we keep you on track with your core subjects but once in a while, somebody will become a senior and they haven’t taken a single PE course or a single practical arts or fine arts and then they are really limited on their choices.”
The biggest regrets come from students who did not complete their health and swimming requirements as underclassmen.
Adam F. ’27 remarks, “I do regret not taking health freshman year, or this year because that’s a guaranteed quarter that I’m going to have to [take] when I could be doing other things.”
Emi M. ’27 shares her experience stating, “I’m proud of signing up for a bunch of PE classes my freshman year so I got all of my PE credits done with right away.” Now, Emi has time to take multiple advanced classes, choir, and newspaper.
It’s also important for students to remember that even if they sign up for a class, especially an elective, there may not be space in their schedule for it. Fast says, “Alternanets sometimes have to come into play because we can’t always guarantee everything will fit together perfectly.”
This is especially true for students involved in activities such as the music program, theater, yearbook, leadership, ATP weights, ambassadors, and newspaper. These students are allowed to register for seven classes a semester to ensure they meet all graduation requirements.
Another big challenge students face is deciding between taking a standard or advanced version of a class. CE, AP, Honors, and EPIC offerings at Heritage allow students to get in-depth knowledge on various subjects.
Knowing if an advanced class is the right choice can be difficult. Fast says the type of student who is best suited to AP classes is “a student who likes the subject, who’s genuinely interested in it. A student that is willing and has the time to put in work because it’s more than a regular class and, a student that can have an advanced level of thinking.”
CE classes are a similar amount of work to APs but do not have an intense end-of-year exam. They also provide guaranteed college credit in the state. Fast recommends this option for people who struggle with test anxiety.
When students are on the fence about a challenging class, Fast believes it is important to ask, “Are your priorities having really good grades or would you rather take an AP and get a B or a C but have the experience of a higher level class?”
Fast also notes, “We’re just a really good school in general. Our regular level courses are preparing students for college if they want to.”
If things don’t work out in an advanced class, students can contact their counselor and switch to a regular class. Fast states, “We register you literally in February for six months from then and a lot can change when you’re a student in six months.” She continues, “You make your initial selections but the door is open for change.”
It’s important for students to make informed decisions during registration that best suit them. Fast emphasizes the importance of taking care of one’s mental health and avoiding burnout.
The counselors are a great resource for anyone with questions about registration. Go to the Heritage Counseling website to make an appointment.