If you are having a hard time thinking of what elective you should take, consider taking 21st Century Pop Culture. This class, taught by none other than Mr. Berkowitz is a fun and exciting elective. Pop Culture is not like any other elective that Wayne Hills has to offer. 

If you decide to take this elective, you will get the opportunity to learn about fashion, music, TV shows and movies, popular foods, and so much more from all decades. Mr. Berk gives you the chance to familiarize yourself with the popular trends from years ago. You will get the chance to learn about who and what impacted each decade. For example, we listen to music, watch shows/movies that were a major hit, play with games that are popular with teens today, and so much more. During the holidays, the class discussed traditions and the history of Santa Claus. Also, listening to classic holiday music and controversial holiday music sparks class discussions. Popular dance trends within the years is another topic that will be talked about. As a class, the students watch different styles of dance throughout the decades.

Pop Culture is a very popular elective, therefore not everyone that wants to be in this class gets the chance to be. How the students are picked for this elective is through a lottery process. This elective is more than just watching movies from the 80’s or listening to different music genres. Students complete projects, answer questions and google forms and create presentations relating to what was popular in a specific decade. Mr. Berk does a good job educating his students on what made each decade special and the highlights of each decade.

This elective is mostly group work, giving students the chance to elaborate and bounce off information about the topic on one another. All of the projects are fun to complete and allow students to be creative. Completing projects and viewing videos/pictures is a good way to learn more of what life was like in other decades.

“Completing the fashion runway project was my favorite because we got to research what men and women wore from the 1900’s to the 2000’s and make an outfit with one item of clothing from each decade. I liked how we got to be creative and make our own designs. This project was a fun way of learning about the fashion throughout the years,” said Senior Christin DeFranco, who takes this elective, said about her favorite project. 

This class is one that I suggest every student here at Wayne Hills take because Mr. Berk makes learning fun and it really is cool to learn about other times.