Course selection for 2026-2027 classes opened up on Feb. 25 and will be open until March 11 at midnight. When the course selection form was first made available, Link Crew leaders took the time to visit freshmen advisory classes to lend a hand with the knowledge they’ve gained over the past few years here at the high school.
“We got a lot of questions about gym classes,” said junior Link Crew member Lizzie Huston. “I think there’s something for everyone. Fit for Life or online gym is also a convenient option if you’re an athlete outside of school and want to open up a study hall period for yourself.”
Another thing to note is The Educational Planning Guide (EPG), found on the district website. Mentioned by many leaders, the club advisors themselves and the school counselors, the EPG provides important information on the variety of paths that a student can take based on their goals and needs. Prerequisites, credits and descriptions for each course and more are found in the Google doc, making the process of course selection less stressful and providing the student with more control over their education.
It’s important to think beyond just next year though. You may want to consider what you plan to do later in your educational career and how these courses and grades could affect them.
“As freshmen begin thinking about sophomore year and beyond, students should explore areas and programs that genuinely interest them,” said MTHS college and career counselor Mrs. Ziegler.
Rising sophomores are given a few more privileges and freedoms than their first year in high school. In order to give yourself the most flexibility, consider all the options you may want to explore in your years as an upperclassman, such as CTC, the IB program and other activities you may want to participate in. By thinking about these options now, it provides a solid foundation and decreases the chances of unnecessary conflicts.
While it may seem like you need to rush to schedule a meeting with your counselor to go over the finer details of your classes, there is no reason to stress over this. The counselors are able to assist you even after the course selection deadline has passed. Submit your course selection form even if there are some issues and you and your counselor can work out the logistics in person at a later date. It’s important to understand that electives and core courses do not perform as a first come first serve basis.
However, certain courses are based on who applies first. A deadline that should be paid attention to are the summer courses which open up around late March to early April. While the classes differ each time selection opens up, requirements such as PFL, Health and PE classes almost always fill up quickly, if not within the first 24 hours of release due to limited availability. It is a good idea to talk to your guardians about the possibility of taking a summer course as it can allow for academic advancement and credit recovery, but there is a fee that comes with signing up for them.
Other dates to note are March 11 to return parent override forms for teacher recommendations which can be found in the counselor’s office and May 27 for when course verification forms are returned during advisories. Once course verification forms for the 26-27 school year have been returned, students may change their courses through the Drop/Add form in Sapphire. The deadline for Drop/Add requests is July 19 and students should keep an eye on their school email in case there are any complications with their requests.
Both leaders and counselors advise that students fill up seven credits worth of courses while picking out their classes. While freshmen, sophomores and juniors need at least six credits—seniors requiring only five, a schedule of seven credits provides flexibility for adjustments and allows for exploration of the variety of courses offered here at MTHS.
“The educational journey depends on many factors,” said junior Link Crew member Diego Segura-Ortiz. “We all go through different experiences, but when times are rough, seek for aid from teachers, counselors and friends. There will always be better times.”
