My name is Allison Felix, and this year I have completed my sophomore year with Mother of Divine Grace, with the exception of some classes taken through Florida Virtual School. As I am now a rising junior, I found it to be exciting to create a “guide” for all rising sophomores, and what to expect this fall!

Geometry

I took geometry through the Jacobs’ textbook this year; may I add, I do tend to have loathsome feelings towards mathematics. I had a learning support class with this course, with Mrs. Gordon being my teacher. I am eternally grateful for the aid she provided to help me overcome my despise for math. It is incredibly important not to fall behind in this course. Towards the middle of my second semester, I fell behind for about a week in the course. Due to this, I faced a snowball of work and eventually had to scramble to work on three chapters within a week. I highly recommend looking into external sources for help. Some I recommend are Khan Academy, Quizlet, and The Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube. However, please ask your parents before looking anything up. If you work hard, the course will be quite manageable.

Biology

Surprisingly, I didn’t take natural science for my tenth-grade year. I took it over last summer, so I could skip to biology. I highly recommend taking this route– it allowed me to complete natural science with ease and provided a better understanding of biology. As for biology, I had a learning support class with Mrs. Hansen, using the Apologia & Dincher textbook. I enjoyed this course– the book provided clear explanations and entertaining graphics. Throughout this year, you will have many experiments and labs, which are incredibly fun. I was lucky enough to perform dissections at the end of my second semester, which may sound gross, but is wildly interesting! Biology is quite easy if you put in the effort, and I believe you all will have a great time.

Sacraments & Apologetics

I took Sacraments and Apologetics with Father Laux’s textbooks this year, and I can say it was quite delightful. I had a learning support class with Mr. Dinan, who provided phenomenal explanations for the course. Sacraments and Apologetics can be quite confusing at times, so I urge all to either participate in a learning support class or ask your local priest questions. This course is full of questioning, debating, and logic. Be prepared to scratch your head and ask questions you’ve never thought of! I found myself applying philosophy and reason to my everyday thinking due to this course, which truly strengthened my intellect. In addition, it is undeniably important to have a strong understanding of Apologetics as young Catholics, for the world we prepare to enter is not weak! This course will readily prepare you for writing papers, debating non-Catholics, and defending your faith with undying passion.

Ancient History

This year, I took ancient history mainly with the Founding of Christendom, Plutarch’s Lives, Shakespeare, and The Rise of the Roman Empire. Ancient history was quite an easy course in my opinion– the majority of your work will consist of reading. I took a learning support class with Mrs. Cynthia Montanaro, which offered a great deal of help when it came to understanding my reading material. The amount of writing assignments is sparse, but quite creative and can be fun! I enjoyed reading Shakespeare for this course and writing the final dialogue paper. I strongly recommend participating in a learning support class for this course; engaging in conversation concerning your reading material, assignments, and papers will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine. I believe all will find ancient history to be a joy, as long as they don’t fall behind in their reading or assignments.

Latin

I’ve never been overly talented in the area of Latin, hence my placement in Latin I for sophomore year. I know the majority of you will be in Latin II, however, I suppose I still could offer useful input. I took this course with the Henle textbook, along with a learning support class with Mrs. Fischer. My advice to all rising sophomores is: do not slack in memorization. You may feel underwhelmed by the first few months, but before you know it, you will be facing new and complex translations. I recommend using Quizlet vocabulary sets, you can use others or make your own. For fun, I also recommend memorizing prayers in Latin. Sometimes I like to pray the rosary in Latin; it’s always exciting to do so in the Church’s language. This will help you with your pronunciation and translating Latin into English.

Fine Arts

I did not take fine arts through Mother of Divine Grace, but I believe I can offer important insight. I took musicality, piano performance, theory, and voice performance through a local music school. I strongly believe the arts to be a main principle for human life; God graced us with the humanities, so it is important to delve into them. I cannot offer a ton of advice concerning the arts in Mother of Divine Grace, but I can stress how important they are. Without such, our world would be filled with unbelievable humdrum. The arts are what God has given us to express ourselves and express our love for Him. Always appreciate fine arts.

Electives

Electives are incredibly important within your high school years– not only do they offer additional credits, but they also offer glimpses into potential future areas of interest. This year, I took journalism and test prep through Mother of Divine Grace, which I strongly recommend. The remainder of my electives were taken through Florida Virtual School, which included psychology I, driver’s education, Spanish II, and Holocaust studies. I also took forensic science and home economics from external course books. I recommend looking into extra classes through Mother of Divine Grace, or even their summer workshops. Or perhaps a local co-op or a state virtual school. I would advise all to take at least two electives.

Free Time

I believe it is quite formative for one to possess a job within their teen years; not only does it develop discipline, character, and responsibility, but it also helps you earn money! Ever since the second semester of my freshman year, I’ve worked at a local music school. I believe that holding a part-time job in my free time is a great way to spend my time. I’ve learned so much and grown close in a community of great people. I strongly encourage all teenagers to search for a part-time job. In addition, I believe it is important to work on sportsmanship, craft, and community service. If possible, volunteer in your local soup kitchen. Or perhaps pick up a new instrument and learn a unique song. Maybe try a new sport, or join a local sports team. Always go into the unknown. Our youth is limited, so why not try everything we can? God has gifted us the beauty of life, so let us venture out on something new every day.