Every year, the English department must choose what electives to offer for the incoming senior class. This year, they had to choose between British Literature and Myth. Both classes were popular with the current senior class, so the choice was a tough one. In the end, the department decided to keep Myth at the expense of cutting Brit Lit due to there being more students interested in taking Myth. “It boiled down to the audience that would be leaving Brit Lit had other options in terms of Modern Fiction or AP Lit for their college needs. It just made it easier for counselors and schedule makers to be able to find those kids new homes,” said Eric Benson, the current teacher of British Literature.

Many twelfth graders who planned on taking the class are disappointed by this decision. Brit Lit is known for having interesting books as part of its curriculum, and Mr. Benson is very passionate about the subject and is loved by his students. “I’m a little bummed out about that because I have Mr. Benson for AP Lang right now and I was really looking forward to developing more of the skills that I used in his class, and I’ve heard from friends that the books you read in Brit Lit are pretty fun to read,” said junior Thomas Morrison. Others were intrigued by the general subject matter and wish they had the opportunity to learn more about it. “I feel bad about it being cut because I enjoy British accents, and I wanted to read books in British accents,” said junior Emily Lin.

Students currently enrolled in Brit Lit are also sad to see the class go, but are relieved by the options still provided. “I think it’s sad. I really like Brit Lit. I think it’s a really fun class. From what I’ve heard, Mr. Benson is still teaching Myth, so that’s what it is getting replaced with, kind of, so that’s a good option because Mr. Benson is a really good teacher, but I’m sad Brit Lit is getting cut,” senior Hanna Ligons said.

There are also concerns about losing an opportunity for college credit. Students who took Brit Lit were able to receive credit through Everett Community College if they wished, and with the class being cut, this will no longer be an option. “My pushback was that we’re now down a college option. And we go to a school where 90% of our student body goes to college, so that was one of my frustrations,” Mr. Benson said.

Fortunately, there are still other options that offer college credit, such as Multicultural Literature, AP Literature, and Modern Fiction. And for those who don’t mind whether the class has college credit, there are a multitude of interesting options like Creative Writing, Mythology in Literature, and Science Fiction. “I guess I’ll just have to find an alternative. I was thinking Sci-Fi because one of my friends said that you get to watch movies and analyze stuff, and it’s a pretty easygoing class from what I hear,” Morrison said.

In the end, both Myth and Brit Lit were great classes, and it’s unfortunate to see one of them go. There are still plenty of options, but Brit Lit will be missed. “It would be really tough for me to see [Myth] go away because I just love that subject so much. But I’ve taught Brit Lit for 19 years so it was pretty crappy,” Benson said.