I didn’t sign up for AP Environmental Science. When AP Physics couldn’t fit in my schedule, I decided to sign up for Environmental Science simply to fill sixth period. Little did I know APES would go on to become one of my favorite classes in high school.

Coach Prock, the APES teacher, told my class the first day of school that he believes Environmental Science to be the most important science. Only twelve students enrolled in the class this year (fifteen students must enroll in a class for it to be taught at Heritage), but Coach Prock asked to teach the class this year to grow the program.

In APES, students go beyond typical classroom learning and focus on current events relating to Environmental Science. Not only have I literally gotten out through field trips to a diverse range of places (The U of A Agriculture Department, Rogers Water Treatment Plant, a wetland prairie in Fayetteville), I have also learned invaluable lessons about the changing world and climate around me. For that reason, APES has been one of the most important classes I’ve ever taken.