Two AP classes will be cut for the 2016-2017 school year at Kearsley High School due to lack of interest.

AP Literature and AP Microeconomics are the two classes affected by low registration numbers. While AP Literature is a full-year class, AP Microeconomics is a semester class.

Principal Brian Wiskur prefers to have at least 25 students per class and only 13 signed up for AP Literature. In addition, nine students signed up for AP Microeconomics.

Wiskur said it is too late for students to sign up for these classes, but he also does not plan on leaving students stranded.

“These are Kearsley’s best and brightest,” Wiskur said. “I am not going to leave them out to dry. There are options for those students to still get college credit or the GPA multiplier.”

One option Wiskur gave is for interested students to dual enroll at nearby community colleges. Another option is to take the AP course online.

Ms. Kari Shaw, AP Literature teacher, said she is disappointed her class is canceled.

So is junior Hannah Brackin.

“I am a little upset,” Brackin said. “I just think it is not fair to us.”

AP Literature and AP Microeconomics were definitely a challenge, but so were AP Language and Composition and AP World History, which are AP classes in students’ junior and sophomore years, respectively.

What is stopping students from pushing themselves?

Wiskur said he feels like students are less motivated each year. He also said many students take the classes for the wrong reason, explaining that many students are more interested in getting the grade multiplier than in taking the AP test to earn college credit.

The grade multiplier is a formula that will boost the GPA for students who take AP classes since those classes are more difficult than standard classes.

Junior Camille Clarambeau thinks that some students are becoming less motivated, but she also thinks there are several students whose motivation increases each year while taking AP classes.

“I think some students do lose their motivation, but the people who do not lose their drive tend to aim much higher,” Clarambeau said.

Clarambeau is worried the lack of AP classes will hurt her education.

“I am upset,” Clarambeau said. “I have been in honors-AP classes every year, and it is disappointing that my last year I will have to slow down my education.”

There was a lot of complaining from this year’s seniors about AP classes and that affected the juniors.

Senior Tyler Frasher felt overwhelmed with his AP course load this year.

“I took all of the available AP classes this year, and it was very challenging,” Frasher said.

Kearsley offers four AP classes to seniors, and these, combined with Human Anatomy and Physiology and other harder classes, can make a student’s senior year miserable.

“I think my classmates did not sign up for the classes because of the way the seniors said the classes were run,” Clarambeau said.

Mr. Mike Whalen, AP Microeconomics teacher, said students are scared to take AP classes. But he also believes that students who do well in non-honors classes should also challenge themselves by taking these classes.

“AP classes are not meant just for honors students,” Whalen said. “Any student that is willing to push themselves should be taking these classes.”

In regard to AP Microeconomics and AP Government, Whalen said a year-long AP Government class will incorporate juniors and seniors for the 2016-17 school year. This year’s AP Government class, like AP Microeconomics, is a semester class.