Caroline Lovett
Staff Writer
At R.J. Reynolds High School, a multitude of classes are offered. However, students can try different classes at Forsyth Tech Community College, which offers asynchronous and synchronous classes for high school students across Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS). Through these classes, students can work at their own pace from wherever they choose.
Senior Mario Ponce-Medina is currently taking six classes at Forsyth Tech and has already completed some of the courses.
“I think being in an asynchronous class is much easier although it is not for everyone,” Ponce-Medina said. “Being in an online class allows you to take things at your own pace and not be rushed.”
While it is nice to have flexibility in your schedule to work at a personal rate, discipline is required to maintain suitable grades in the classes. Junior Kya Redd is currently enrolled in two classes at Forsyth Tech, Writing/Research in the Disciplines and Art Appreciation
“Classes at Forsyth Tech give you much more free will,” Redd said. “But you have to be disciplined and be able to manage your time. The teachers I’ve had are very helpful and the workload isn’t too demanding as long as you keep up.”
Forsyth Tech classes are also known to be harder. As they are college-level courses, the difficulty level can be demanding on students already taking challenging classes at RJR or the Career Center.
“The classes are AP classes GPA-wise, flexible, and doable for most, if not all, students with some effort,” Ponce-Medina said. “They are a great program, but getting started is a little complicated. Our school’s Advisor, Janae Moore is accommodating, making this all work with the high school schedule is hard, but they are working on it with the district to make it seamlessly fit into the school day.”
Janae Moore is RJR’s Forsyth Tech advisor. She helps students create their schedules and sign up for classes at Forsyth Tech.
“We don’t treat our RJR students differently than we do our regular students.”
Recently, the number of students enrolling the Forsyth Tech classes has risen.
“We are pushing 50 [RJR] students,” Moore said. “I would love to grow that number but it’s a great improvement from last year.”
Due to the classes being online, students taking many classes at Forsyth Tech can spend portions of their school day where they choose because of free periods from classes they aren’t taking at RJR or Career Center. Students can work in the media center at RJR, at home, or anywhere else they would like.
“Some pros [of online courses] would be not having to stay at school all day in some cases,” Redd said. “And being able to take things at your own pace.”
At Forsyth Tech, students taking classes asynchronously have a teacher assigned to each class. Students can personally reach out to teachers with concerns. Senior Ashely Russ is enrolled in Spanish at Forsyth Tech.
“I like my Spanish teacher,” Russ said. “She lets us go off independently and immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture.”
These classes allow students to directly communicate with teachers. Instructors provide videos, practice content, and homework to teach students. Considering most high school students take these classes online, it’s different from a typical classroom environment. These classes can feel specialized as if you are the only one taking the class.
“There are more opportunities,” Russ said. “It just feels like you are getting more one-on-one attention.”
However, being online has its downfalls. As almost every student and teacher learned during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning isn’t always the smoothest system. There is a barrier put in place when the connection is not face-to-face.
“I think one of the cons is sometimes the online aspect,” Russ said. “So if you have a question for your teacher, it’s through email, sometimes it is harder if you have a question, you have to wait for an email back…a decay in communication almost.”
Forsyth Tech is an option for many high school students, but there are better choices for some types of students. The choice of rigor and class type depends upon how one is as a student and what one wants in the future.
“I would recommend Forsyth Tech to people who are not sure if college is for them, don’t enjoy being at school, are better off working by themselves, or overall just want to try something new,” Redd said. “I think it’s a great experience and a great way to learn your work ethic.”
Taking classes at Forsyth Tech has become popular among RJR students in recent years and is a viable option for certain students with different motivations to take them. Having so many options for class selection, whether through RJR, Career Center, or Forsyth Tech allows for a multitude of variety in schedules across our school and can help benefit each student’s needs.
“It’s a great choice,” Moore said “It’s a strategic choice, it can save you both time and money before you even get to a college campus.”