As seniors enter their second semester of the school year and final semester of high school, they transitioned from college guidance, a program started in the second semester of their junior year, back to human development. An Archer staple, HD class for seniors consists of a curriculum designed to help them leave Archer and enter the next phase of their lives.

Fitness and wellness teacher Dani LeNoir teaches all sections of senior human development. The overall goal, LeNoir said, is to prepare seniors to leave Archer.

“The point is to make sure that … you guys are as equipped as we can possibly make you to go out into the world beyond these Archer walls. It is a completely different experience,” LeNoir said. “So we want to make sure that you have the tools to thrive once you leave. That’s why we cover those things like financial literacy, how to stay safe in college and all that kind of stuff.”

Marley Mills is a senior who is making the transition into Human Development. Compared to the college guidance experience, she is looking forward to a “less stressful” environment.

“I’m actually really excited for this transition,” Mills said. “I think that it’s going to be smooth because going from such a stressful couple months to something that where we can actually talk about our feelings and how we feel, and the important questions that we’re going to be answering. That is something that I think will be really valuable.”

Senior Olivia Jarvie also spoke to the differences in her experience between HD and college guidance. After making the transition, she said she is “excited for what’s to come.”

“It’s definitely been a shift from a very intensive college process to a more relaxed like, personable HD class,” Jarvie said. “I feel pretty good about it so far.”

Within the specific curriculum, HD narrows in on what seniors want to learn, as the class started with a survey asking seniors about their preferred topics. LeNoir said the most popular subject is usually the financial literacy class.

“I think the class that most people find to be the most beneficial is financial literacy,” LeNoir said. “We go over budgeting. We go over student loans and like credit cards and debt and stuff like that. Most students have not yet had that conversation with their parents and sometimes this is the first time that they’re being exposed to these conversations, and it’s usually a wake-up call.”

After her first class, Mills spoke about all the different lessons that were previewed. She, specifically, is looking forward to the financial literacy classes.

“Some of the topics like financial literacy and also how to be a good roommate … I think will be really intriguing to me, and I hope to get out good preparation for college and being prepared for the future,” Mills said. “I hope I’ll have the tools to go to college prepared and ready for my secondary education.”

Moreover, Jarvie said she is looking to feel “prepared overall” for college life. From food shopping to money management, she spoke to the range of skills she hopes to learn.

“I’m hoping to learn some college skills or skills that I can use in college like how to deal with roommates how to shop for groceries,” Jarvie said. “Just daily life skills like how to manage money on a day-to-day basis. I think that’ll be very helpful.”

An underlying theme of 12th grade HD is class bonding LeNoir said. While there isn’t a specific lesson on the subject, LeNoir said the nature of the class is geared towards an attempt for second semester bonding.

“Every class that we have is one class closer to you being gone, and you really start to realize that more and more as a semester goes on,” LeNoir said. “We are already in the second semester of your senior year, and I think the thing that helps the seniors realize that bonding needs to happen is when we only have nine classes and that’s it … It’s catered to that real-life experience of things that you’re going to encounter when you’re outside of this classroom. I’ve yet to have a class to leave 12th grade HD not more closely bonded.”