At Nashua High School South, students are offered a course called Human Relations, which on paper is said to teach career readiness, problem solving, and communicating and forming relationships with others.

Maybe you’ve heard about the class from a friend, maybe you have no idea what it is and have no plans on adding it to your list of classes. Today I am writing to send you a message. If you are a student or soon to be student at Nashua High School South, TAKE HUMAN RELATIONS. Take it.

Before I decided to sign up for this class, all I had heard from previous students was of how they had such a great time in the class and how awesome the teacher Ms. Yates is. I just had to try it for myself, and let me tell you, this class really is not even a class. It’s an experience. From the day you start to the final day of the semester, you are engulfed in a wonderful, one of a kind experience. It is hard to explain how your experience will turn out, because everyone sees the world differently, however I can promise if you give this class just a couple weeks you’ll understand the uniqueness I am talking about.

It starts off slow, because like any other class most kids will not know each other. Human Relations asks the student to take a risk, one they would not be required to take in any other class in the school, whether it’s AP or not. It asks that you take your inner self and let that shine through for others to see. It asks that you use what you find from within to learn and grow stronger. That’s part of what makes this class so special. You can’t learn it from a book -although there are textbooks- but what you truly learn is from the effort you put in.

As for the classwork, if you enjoy countless hours of sitting at a desk completing worksheets, then prepare for something different. About ninety percent of the class is hands-on. Any writing you may do is solely for you and to prepare you for your own future. The biggest project that Ms. Yates bestowed upon us is one that asks us to ascend above and beyond any competency or funky grading rubric, it is one that asks you to make a difference in your own community.

This year our classes visited Fairgrounds Elementary School, where we planned our own lessons and games to teach our community’s children about bullying and attempt to bring out the good within our thriving youth. This was one of the most enjoyable (and only) field trips I have been on in my high school years and not only did I have the opportunity to meet some great kids, I also had the opportunity to work with some of my awesome classmates to prepare one big lesson for the children. I won’t spoil the rest of the wonderful activities that take place throughout a semester of Human Relations, but expect many fun activities and a lot of self searching.

Starting out I was quite worried that I would only have one or two friends, as in any new class. Three months later and I can say from the bottom of my heart that I love every single person in my class and I am so grateful to have met every one of them. These are other high school students who I never would have met if I had passed up taking this class, and they give me confidence and a backbone of I ever feel down. Taking the time to actually learn about each of them and who they really are underneath the surface has truly taught me that judging others based on first glance proves for many missed opportunities meeting amazing people who walk through the halls of my school each and every day.

Many schools will offer this class, but there is one specific factor in the Human Relations class at Nashua High School South that makes taking it here much more special, and that factor is a teacher named Ms. Lisa Yates. Ms. Yates is beyond your description of a teacher. She is a friend. She walks into Nashua High School South not because she has another day of work, but because she has another day to change others’ perspectives of both themselves and the world. I genuinely believe that each and every person needs a Ms. Yates in their life. She is that one person who you just can’t stay sad around. I will miss her with all my heart when I graduate from high school.

If your school offers a Human Relations class or anything like it, I would absolutely recommend adding it to your transcript. You may just learn something new about what you are really capable of accomplishing.