Purpose + Passion

Electives allow girls to choose their own adventure

Did you ever wonder how the brain works? Agnes Irwin offers an elective class that turns such mysteries into knowledge.

Curious about how 9/11 marked a turning point in the modern world? There’s an elective on that.  What would it be like to search for fossils? There’s one about that, too.

Agnes Irwin’s vast range of electives allow girls to explore the subjects and topics that spark their curiosity.

“In the Center for the Advancement of Girls, one of our principles of girl-centered learning is ‘choice.’ Another is ‘voice,’” says Assistant Head of School Dr. Elizabeth Rossini. “Electives give students freedom of choice in their course offerings. Additionally, electives ask students to apply content and skills previously learned to effectively demonstrate their understanding in new ways.”

Interpreting the World

One way students demonstrate that understanding is by collecting and analyzing information that has wandered outside the lines of a traditional academic subject.

History of Pseudoarchaeology & Conspiracy Theories, offered through the Classics department, builds on misinformation. Students take a critical look at how false histories spread and why buzzy myths continue to captivate audiences — through TV shows like Ancient Aliens or YouTube channels dedicated to topics like Bigfoot sightings.

]We do a deep dive and ask: What are these graphics on the screen showing you? What are the presenters claiming? What expertise, if any, do they have with the actual subject matter?” says Classics Department Chair, Dr. Patrick Beasom, who first taught the course as a freshman seminar at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

This elective, offered to any AIS Upper Schooler in 2025-26, builds on the media literacy course required for all freshmen. While students learn the particulars of some famous conspiracy theories, they learn even more about applying and trusting their own logic processes.

“You don’t have to have a PhD in Egyptology. You just have to listen carefully and watch attentively. That’s one of the best lessons the students take away,” Beasom says.

In International Relations, an eleventh- and twelfth-grade history elective taught by Sean McCormick, students learn some of the most popular theories of international relations, then apply those theories as they discuss current and historical events.

“This past year, we spent a lot of time discussing the United States’ relationships with Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran, all of which have been in the news,” explains Paige Conwell ’26. “Any of the many questions we had were never shied away from, which gave us a great opportunity to gain knowledge about these current events.”

In addition to robust discussions, students run simulations, analyze films, and design role-playing games that illustrate potential paths for conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine War or tensions in the South China Sea.

Knowing the Self

Students are curious about their inner lives, too.

Agnes Irwin students are required to take four English credits; as seniors, they must choose an elective for the fourth credit. Writing the Self, a new course being offered for 2026-27, aims to teach students to create powerful, first-person stories.

Teacher Dr. Nimisha Ladva started her personal journey of memoir writing by entering oral-storytelling events through The Moth and First Person Arts. After seeing her stories resonate and win a few competitive events, she branched into playwriting, often inspired by her life experiences.

“A story is the shortest distance between two people. Storytelling is a great way to have self-reflection and can be the basis of bridge-building in the classroom,” she says.

Writing the Self students will participate in their own Moth-style oral-storytelling event, write personal essays, and experiment through free writing. Throughout, they’ll work on unearthing and revisiting significant moments in their lives, making connections through distilling and sharing the emotions that surface.

Looking to the Future

Many electives offered to juniors and seniors let students peer into future possibilities — career paths they might take and ways they could contribute to the world.

Research in Microbiology is a year-long elective that exposes students to professional research practices as they take part in a real research initiative. Students learn advanced laboratory techniques and work with an organization called Tiny Earth that crowdsources the discovery of new antibiotics from soil microorganisms. Most students who choose the course have an interest in science or healthcare careers.

“What excited me about the course was working to find a new antibiotic and to make a difference, while also learning several different laboratory skills that I have now used in college,” says Caitlyn Monestere ’25, who took the course her senior year. “I discovered that I really love working in the lab and plan to have a career in microbiology or molecular biology.”

Like many Agnes Irwin faculty, teacher Cheryl Ellis draws on her outside expertise in leading the course. After 20 years as a clinical microbiologist, one of her first forays into education was creating a continuing-education course on bacteriology for nurses.

Something New: Middle School Electives

So much of Middle School at Agnes Irwin is about discovering one’s self. Based on the success of the Upper School program, Middle School electives launched in 2024, further helping girls along the journey of self-discovery.

“In Middle School, the students are at a developmental stage where they are figuring out who they are and what matters to them,” Rossini says. “The electives students select in seventh and eighth grade give them the opportunity to explore something that interests them and might even turn into a real passion in high school or beyond.”

One popular offering for seventh graders has been physical education, perfect for students who want to grow as athletes or crave daily movement when PE is no longer required.

“We took a field trip to a driving range, and once we got outside, hitting actual golf balls, some of the girls became way more excited about golf,” says Middle School PE teacher and Coach Meghan Halberstadt. “We also had pretty high interest in flag football, which has been gaining popularity.”

 Next year, she plans to introduce adaptive sports, similar to what might be seen in the Paralympics.

For the elective TED Talks Comes to AIS, designed and taught by Sarah Schoettle ’99, students gave three speeches to their peers throughout the semester. Not only was the class aimed at improving students’ public speaking skills and their ability to communicate their ideas, it also served as a project management tool, teaching girls how to break down a large task into smaller pieces, plus schedule their time effectively, organize materials, and research topics and ideas. While speeches needed to adhere to a topic (a woman in history, a country they’d like to visit, and an invention that has made a large impact on their lives), girls could exercise choice, helping to foster individual passions and a love of learning through their own interests.

The seventh-grade elective Making a Difference: 3D Design and Engineering for Change combines fabrication techniques with research and service.

“Project-based learning allows student creativity, resilience, and ingenuity to shine, drawing out talents that traditional classes do not assess,” says teacher Ashley Powers.

Those talents shone as students designed new backpacks for classmates and 3D-printed memorials to honor women innovators. The students also used their new skills to identify problems and design solutions across campus, like helping the admissions staff add more welcoming touches to prospective students’ visits.

Lily Duddy ’31 and her group worked with Middle School Director Corey Willingham to create signage that would improve the carpool line.

“We chose specific designs, colors, and materials that would stand out so Middle School parents would know to pull up to the front of the car line every morning,” she explains. “We had to try several materials so the sign would stay up and be durable.”

Uniquely Agnes Irwin

Girls learn better when the subject is relevant to their lives, another of the six principles of the Center for the Advancement of Girls. Because girls have the freedom to choose electives that feel relevant, they are energized by the classes, ready to tackle challenging material, and ultimately learn more about themselves while applying critical and creative thinking skills.

With eager students, enthusiastic expert teachers, and a commitment to voice, choice, and relevance, electives are a reflection of the school’s belief that girls learn best when they are encouraged to explore, question, create, and lead.