Contemporary Issues is one of the most exciting classes available at Regina Dominican. Juniors and seniors can take the class as a Social Studies elective and it is a one semester course. Ms. Gianos teaches the class and is very passionate about the course.

Through discussions and news reports, the class offers students a way to discover their views and even create personal experiences with the topics. The class is especially relevant to its students because they are the ones that pick the topics at the beginning of the course.

Gianos creates the PowerPoints and discussions for the topics that her students pick, but she does have a few personal favorite topics to cover. As of right now they are the upcoming Presidential elections and the Middle East crisis. Both are ongoing events today and they can affect the future of many people around the world.

Like her students, Gianos sometimes finds it difficult to discuss certain topics with the class. It is especially difficult when students want to know her personal opinions or experiences because she says that contradicts the whole idea of the class.

She says, “The whole point of the class is to learn about your thoughts, your ideas, your values, and your views; and it’s not about being influenced by the people around you.”

There are many things that she enjoys about the class, but she especially likes to see her students begin to understand more about the world around them and form opinions on topics that can affect everyone.

Because of this, Gianos stresses how important this class is to Regina students. By solidifying your opinions, you can become more confident in what you believe in and this allows you to become an individual.

In conclusion, Gianos has a very important lesson that she hopes her students take away from the course.

She advises, “Always question things until you find the answer that you are satisfied with.”