With the move to a block schedule, came the opportunity for students to take more electives. As a result, the Language Arts department felt inspired to offer a line-up of new electives to meet the interests of a variety of students. The result is several new electives being offered in the fall, one of them being a class about graphic novels.

Teaching the class will be 15 year teaching veteran, Todd Efsits. Once running a graphic art company, he felt inspired to propose that it become an elective at Memorial after taking a graduate course about the writing of graphic novels.

“I found it intriguing that the same structure and storytelling devices (whether fiction or nonfiction) are not only necessary in graphic literature, but require a greater focus,” Efsits said.

In the class, students will dive into the world of graphic novels—learning its history while reading, studying, and analyzing published works. They will also get a chance to create works of their own throughout the semester.

If that bit scares you, don’t worry. You don’t have to be an outstanding artist to make a good graphic novel. It’s about developing your own style of storytelling, whether that be with realistic illustrations or stick figures.

According to Efsits, students should take the class if they have an interest in storytelling, namely storytelling with words and images.

“Students will get a greater understanding and appreciation of the graphic literature genre by studying how the combination of words and images can communicate powerful stories and ideas,” Efsits said.

The one semester class is open to all who want to join, regardless of grade level, and can be taken more than once. If enough students are interested in the class, it may be offered in both semesters.

So, if you’re interested, be sure to tell your guidance counselor when you’re scheduling your 2019 fall semester.