(June 11, 2010) -- "What didn’t I learn?"

Senior Chris Ramponi still remembers his days in his history and English classes, in which his experiences were what he describes as intellectually gratifying. As part of a class of 70 people taught by Jennifer and Chris Davis, he learned about an extensive range of matters, from the world wars to public speaking and life lessons.

Ramponi is just one of the many seniors who is beginning to think back to past years and classes as his high school days slowly come to an end. Humanities, a particularly significant set of classes, was taught by the Davises and by Diana McGrath and Loretta Ngo.

"I heard a lot of stories," senior Beatrice Regner said, describing the rumors about the Davises’ class. As the year progressed, she came to realize that the situation was quite the contrary to what she had heard. "They really weren’t that bad. They were like my parents, honestly." Lessons learned in these periods proved to be a considerable level up in difficulty. Arjun Anandan, who had McGrath and Ngo for the year, claims that that the classes were "a bit challenging, but not too rigorous or overwhelming."

The increase in workload not only brought late-night study sessions, but also new takes on people/society. Ramponi remembers doing the children’s book for the Davises’ class. "Writing and making it taught me about the world and how certain things came to be. It was an interesting experience." Anandan found one project especially memorable. "I interviewed my grandfather for the oral history project. It showed me a new side of him, and I enjoyed doing the assignment too."

"When I heard about the Davises at the beginning of the year, I thought I got lucky by getting McGrath and Ngo," senior William Reinoso said, "but now, I guess it was pretty much the same. We had more presentations–like on the countries and Cold War–than the students with the Davises did, but they had more projects, I think."

He shrugs and sports a humorous face as he remembers how seriously some students used to take the matter. "It really wasn’t a big deal or anything," he said. "In the end, you realize that the topics that they cover and the work they give out are pretty similar." Regardless of who their teachers were, many seniors believe that they benefited from the classes one way or another.As for less serious topics, Ramponi notes, "I learned that the plural of Davis is Davii."