East High's Hidden Gem: Serendipity

East High School takes pride in its diverse programs by offering dozens of courses; whether they are academic, electives, or the arts, East has it all. There are few greater feelings than taking a class that not only knocks out credits but also piques interest. If students are struggling to find a class that gains college credit but also sparks interest, Serendipity comes highly recommended. Serendipity is a writing course that allows students to be creative in any way that interests them whether it be art, photography, or writing. This course encourages all types of creativity. Serendipity has been offered at East since 1986 and is currently led by East English teacher Jonathan Clark. Clark has taught at East for eight and a half years and takes pride in the beauty of Serendipity. He loves that the class is a “flexible creative space with a lot of different voices, doing a lot of different things but we all gather together.” This describes the class perfectly. The balance between a variety of ideas and constant concepts being tossed around allows students to learn from their peers and provides benefits that go much further than the class itself. 

After speaking with Clark, The Spotlight was eager to gather different perspectives and hear directly from the students. To begin, a staff writer spoke with East Alumni Elin Lawrence (who graduated in 2023). Lawrence couldn’t get enough of this class and was quick to talk about how this course “prepared me for other writing classes and gave me a deeper meaning of what writing is.” She went on to discuss the opportunity this class gave her to “express myself better through writing. It has also helped me feel good at something in school,” which Lawrence thinks is important in a learning environment.

Francesca Vela, a current senior at East, had similar feelings about this program explaining that she loves “doing something that I’m passionate about and working with others that have the same love for writing.” Vela also touched on the comfort this class provides to the students who feel like “family and a safe space where you will never be judged.”    

Serendipity allows students to express themselves academically and personally, making it an incredible program worth trying out. The diverse ideas, incredible teachers, and involved students make this one of the many incredible classes East offers.