NHS Most Popular Elective: Culinary

As a student at Nutley High School, one can definitely say that the academic portion of the school day is taken very seriously. To make the students’ schedules more intriguing and personalized, the school offers several elective courses. An elective is a course chosen by the students based on their own personal interests. Because of this, the students at Nutley High School are able to focus on their passion.

While Nutley High School offers a broad range of electives for a number of different trades, one elective stands out from the rest. Ms. Carrie Anne Vos confirms that the course in highest demand is the Culinary Arts program, run by Mr. John Gulardo and Mr. Tarik Huggins. Vos  added that these two teachers strive their hardest to make sure the course is as hands on as possible for the students. This type of teaching style allows the students to become more interested in the class due to the independence they are given. Vos stated that students are interested in the culinary program because they are given the privilege to experiment with a variety of different recipes during class, requiring no work outside of class.

Vos also mentioned that the culinary course depends on the students’ interests. “If a student is thinking about going into culinary in the future, “then this course is perfect,” Vos said. Each year, 300 to 400 students sign up to take this course for only 180 available seats.  Vos said that she and her team try their hardest to give as many interested students as possible an opportunity to take this course.

Electives allow students to explore what makes them happy, and gives them a sense of independence. The Culinary Arts program at Nutley High School is definitely a great class if you are looking to experiment, or have freedom to try new things.