For the 2015-2016 school year Mr. Hicks and Mr. Cruz will be exchanging their 7th block classes. Due to scheduling conflicts concerning their semester classes, the two teachers have agreed to switch classes at the semester break.

Cruz’s 7^th block AP U.S. History class will be going to Hicks’ class while Cruz will be teaching the ‘World of Ideas’ class during the second semester.

“It was done in interest of offering more classes,” Hicks said. There are not enough people that decided to take two semesters of World of Ideas and Psychology.

Although Hicks said that he and Cruz “are familiar with the way each other teaches,” Hicks still sees differences in their teaching styles.

“I have great respect for Mr. Cruz and his teaching style and although we differ I don’t think it will be hard for the students to get used to it,” Hicks said. He also acknowledges that he tends to be louder than Cruz and has “less empathy” for his students.

There are twenty-five students transferring from Mr. Cruz’s class to Mr. Hicks’ class this semester. Although Cruz admits that this change is rare he also has a significant amount of “faith” in his students.

Carly Lucas, a junior currently in Cruz’s 7th block History class, said that the class would be much harder than Cruz’s. Lucas thinks that the switch is “negative because it will be hard to adjust.”

Hicks does not think that there will be much of a difference in the grades. Ms. Le, currently a librarian at the school, used to teach AP U.S. History and did a similar semester switch with Hicks a couple of years ago. “[Students’] grades pretty much stayed the same then,” Hicks said.

As far as the AP Exam goes, Lucas is not quite sure if her score will be affected. Hicks said that a lot of the exam requires students to prepare themselves individually.

Hicks said he is looking forward to a new group of students. “I know Cruz prepared them well. He is a great person and teacher.”