Social Justice breaks free from the mold of traditional classrooms and allows students to speak freely and passionately about topics that are important to them and the world.

Aiming to give students a clear understanding of the injustices around them, Social Justice meets twice per week and encourages students to find topics that interest them.

Junior Ary Alvarez-Valdez said the class has helped her realize her own interest in responding to sexual assault and violence.

“Something I really want to learn about is sexual assault and sexual violence. It’s going to be a topic that we’re going to focus on this school year, which I’m very excited about” Alvarez-Valdez said.

Junior Nael Alaeddin said the class covers a variety of topics.

“Right now, we’re focusing on the topic of immigration, and next we will be centering around racism, and then LGBTQ+ rights,” Alaeddin said.

According to Alaeddin, the class covers issues many students deal with in their own personal lives, which allows them to have a deeper connection and understanding.

“The immigration and LGBTQ+ unit really resonates with me because I feel like I’m very integrated in it. I’m not an immigrant but my parents are, and I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Alaeddin said.

According to Junior Misha Kennedy, the class is regarded as a safe environment that values confidentiality and having a diverse range of opinions and she herself has had many important discoveries in the class.

“I honestly didn’t think that highschoolers could be so eloquent in their thoughts and the way they’re thinking about the world. But then, a lot of my classmates will be talking and I’m like ‘I agree with that, you said that amazingly and I want to discover more of what you’re saying,’” Kennedy said.

According to Alvarez-Valdez, the class teaches its students how to listen to views that may be different from their own.

“I tend to be very talkative, so I’m always raising my hand and everything. This class has really taught me how to be attentive and just take in other people’s opinions,” Alvarez-Valdez said.

According to Kennedy, Social Justice has given students skills that are useful for not just inside the classroom, but outside as well. Kennedy said the class teaches students about issues that are prevalent in the world today and allows them to be more perceptive moving forward.

Kennedy also said the class helps students form a more informed view of the world.

“Before it was like, ‘there are injustices in the world but as a teenager they don’t affect you,’ but now in this class I’ve gotten a first-hand look at what’s going on.” Kennedy said.