Of the many classes Grade students have to take, Biology is mandatory for all students arriving, it might not be the first choice for many but with its new teacher Ms. Brooke Wittleder, students have found it entertaining.

“Ms. Brooke is a great teacher who always has a lot of energy to teach us,” Luciana Pertuz, Grade 9, said.

Biology has been around for years, having a reputation for the many interesting and fun topics that are taught and practiced during class time, students have the opportunity to put into practice their favorite lessons and topics

“My favorite topic was learning about the muscle at a cellular level,” “We did a project on blood diseases and I learned a lot,” Pertuz said. 

Even though students enjoy most of the activities, there are other activities that others may enjoy less. “I found an experiment not hard and not fun but disgusting, we had to crush strawberries and I almost puked,” Arianna Niehaus, Grade 9, said.  

Every class brings a new topic, and Biology is no different, this can be harder for many and become more challenging with time, it is up to the students to learn how to manage their study time to understand a topic to a higher level, “I didn’t understand one unit and found it very hard, but I studied and did well on the test,” said Pertuz. 

While in middle school, students took Science, where they learned Newton’s laws, universe, and energy; in Biology, they studied living organisms and the human body. These new topics bring new understandings, and many students find them interesting, making them want to learn further, “Yes, I enjoy biology so I would like to learn further,” said Pertuz. 

Even though the class has been a great success, and the students enjoy learning, there are always things some would like to either improve or do more of, as they find some activities more enjoyable than others, “More research on topics, instead of learning it from the teacher, said Pertuz, and “Ed puzzles, they are entertaining and I enjoy them,” said Niehaus. 

It’s important to note that the curriculum has changed over the years, which means that the work students do outside of class changes. While some years back homework was a thing, right now it doesn’t play a significant role, “No, there is no homework. All work is done in class. However, if a student falls behind, it is their job to catch up,” said 9th grader Ariana Agudelo. 

Biology can be a demanding class, where many challenges can arise, but it has proven to be a successful course, where students learn many new topics and expand their knowledge. With Ms. Brook Wittleder as the teacher for next year, students will once again have the chance to learn in an environment of enrichment, where many will move on to take AP Biology.