Hoping to give students a challenge with content and skill building, LT has began A.P. Human Geography, a new class available for freshmen and sophomores.

“I am very excited for students in this class,” social studies teacher James Milkert said. “A.P. Human Geography focuses on encouraging students to think critically about how and why the world is similar and different and to use that knowledge to positively impact our local and global communities.”

The course will cover the seven units created by the College Board for A.P. Human Geography, as wide ranging as agricultural studies, urban land use, and economic development.

“There are a lot of concepts that our teacher explained to us in the first week and it was crazy on how much we’re going to learn this year,” Genesis Magpayo ’21 said, a student in A.P. Human Geography. In the class students take on assignments that allow them to apply skills they are learning in class  to their own lives. They are currently discussing their second unit-population and migration-at the local and global scales. During this lesson, the class will be mapping out their family’s historical migration to LT’s school district.

“During first semester, students will also have to compare and contrast the Oak Brook Mall to the North Riverside Mall,” Milkert said.

The class has taken its first field trip to Sandwich, Illinois on September 7th, to experience rural culture and examine the evolution of farming over time.

“It was also meant to be an enjoyable bonding experience for students that accepted the challenge of an A.P. course freshmen year,” Milkert said.

During the trip to Sandwich, the class was given an assignment to complete at the county fair. Students had to interview 6 different people and figure out why they were there and what they did for a living.

Despite the class’ A.P. level, students are having an enjoyable time learning about Human Geography.

“[I knew] that it was going to be hard,” Magpayo said, “But in all seriousness it (the class) was mostly about how humans interact with the world.”