Excellence in Electives is a program showcasing the work that the students and teachers of Pella High do in the school’s many elective classes. This year’s event was hosted on February 13, the Monday night after the 8th graders took a visit to the high school and checked out the electives that we offer. Many different departments participated in the event, including the FACS classes, the agriculture department, the journalism department, and more.

“This whole evening originated from Beth Glasnapp and myself feeling we needed to have an evening to showcase what students in elective courses at Pella High accomplish,” said Kathy Van Norden, who teaches classes in the FACS department as well as multiple other areas. “Many times, people are familiar with sports and fine arts, but not with the talent that our students display in the electives here at PHS.”

In the FACS exhibits, the visitors were catered food and drink samples that were made by students. They were also able to see house projects made by the Architectural Design class, and other items from the Textiles and Child Development areas.

“In the Ag department, students work together to come up with hands-on exhibits of their favorite labs they have done in Ag classes,” said agriculture teacher Jacob Bowers. “In agriculture and FFA, we are leaders by doing, so we have taken this concept when it comes to recruiting for classes. We make sure that students know that they are going to need to be moving and shaking when it comes to Ag class because of the diverse hands-on curriculum.”

These Ag exhibits have included a wide range of things like drone demonstrations, liquid nitrogen ice cream, welding minibikes/scooters, as well as presentations dealing with animals like chicken, ducks, and dogs.

As a whole, the Excellence in Electives program is a way to put the spotlight on some of the more under looked classes at Pella High. It encourages incoming freshmen and current high schoolers alike to jump into an elective and find something they really enjoy. Although this year’s event may have passed, everyone is encouraged to go out next year and see what the PHS electives have to offer.