By Noora Hosseinzadeh 

Staff Writer

      As students began to register for classes for the upcoming school year, a new class appeared on the roster: AP Chemistry. A class renowned for challenging equations, enticing labs, and the occasional explosion–now offered at R.J. Reynolds High School? It’s a dream come true! 

    But who is behind this advance for RJR’s science department? It’s no one other than chemistry teacher Joseph Garber! With his three-year career at RJR, Garber has revolutionized the culture of teaching, but that wasn’t his plan initially. 

    “In college (University of Texas at El Paso), I taught General Chemistry II, and then I helped prepare people in the organic chemistry section of the MCAT,” Garber said. “I graduated from college and went to medical school, and then I left in my third year, and then I got bored trading stocks, so I decided I want to try teaching because I always wanted to do that.”

    Garber’s chemistry expertise fostered his motivation to introduce an AP chemistry course into the RJR curriculum. Many students who have taken the simple course taught by him have fallen in love with the topic and want more. 

    “My students have been asking me to teach it,” Garber said. “I asked Mr. Freeman, and he actually forgot to meet, so I followed up with him about ten times until he said ‘sure’, so here I am.”

    AP Chemistry is known as one of the most challenging Advanced Placement courses offered. Students often stay away from taking the class, fearing a tanked GPA or absent social life. However, the fear-mongering often overshadows the class’ high-risk, high-reward nature. 

    “If you want to become a dentist, doctor, or pharmacist, basically anything in the medical field, you will have to take chemistry eventually,” Garber said. “AP Chemistry is the first entry point for getting into those fields, and if you can do well in AP Chemistry, you can do well in harder classes like organic chemistry.” 

    Despite the challenges they may face, prospective students are ready to take it on full force, especially with a teacher like Mr. Garber. 

    “I am so excited,” an RJR sophomore, who chooses to stay anonymous, said. “Mr. Garber was a fantastic teacher for honors, and I am so hyped to take him again for AP.”

    With Garber taking the lead, RJR’s newest AP course is bound to explode, but only metaphorically, of course!