With the new school year, EHS students have seen a lot of changes beyond the remodeled lobby. One of these large improvements was the addition of a new social studies elective class — AP Human Geography. While this AP class, also known as APHUG, has been around for almost two and a half decades (since the 2000-2001 school year), this is the first year that EHS is offering this AP course. So what exactly is AP Human Geography, and why now?

According to the College Board, APHUG is an introductory college-level geography course. The course has seven units, covering concepts from basic geography skills to developing a knack for patterns in real-world scenarios (such as migration).

Unlike standard AP history courses — such as AP US History (APUSH) and AP World History (WHAP) — APHUG takes a different approach to teaching social studies. Instead of focusing on analyzing the events of the past, APHUG asks students to investigate the patterns of the present. Ultimately, APHUG emphasizes critical thinking by understanding patterns beyond just maps and data in a new way, suggesting the need for this class at EHS.

According to Mr. Mark Digiovacchino, the district’s social studies supervisor, discussions about adding the course to Edison began as early as September 2024; the new curriculum was finalized by December 2024 to January 2025.

Digiovacchino added that they added APHUG to have an accessible AP course and exam available for underclassmen who may not have a lot of experience with college-level classes. This elective would help students understand the challenges, rigor, and format of AP courses and tests, before they take a more advanced core AP subject (such as AP Physics or APUSH). “Previously, there were no AP classes available to freshmen unless they were enrolled in the STEM program. This change can help new students feel less overwhelmed by the demands of an AP course when they become sophomores,” said Aiden Thomas ‘28, APHUG student.

However, there were some hiccups with the addition of the new curriculum. To start, Digiovacchino realized that more elective teachers mean fewer teachers for core classes, resulting in larger class sizes for those essential subjects. Thus, the board had trouble deciding the number of classes the new APHUG class should have here at Edison High.

After much deliberation, the final decision was one class for all of EHS for this school with high enrollment rates for the class around thirty students. Resources are being provided by the Department of Education for this class.

According to Ms. Sara Yocum, APHUG teacher, and enrolled students, the class seems to be a success so far. “It is another opportunity for students to push themselves academically while obtaining invaluable lessons and knowledge. Even if you don’t love history, you actually might like this course!” said Yocum.The new class doesn’t just focus on social studies, but also has a concentration on social sciences such as human behavior and related topics.

“There aren’t dates and events to memorize, rather just vocab and application, ” said Sandhya Jain ‘26.

But what does this actually mean for the future of education at EHS?

Before this school year, students who were not fans of traditional history courses didn’t get to choose from a variety of social studies classes they may have enjoyed. And usually, most AP students only complete US History and World History before graduation. But, introducing a new elective introduces the possibility of changing history education in Edison. In the coming years, with higher enrollment rates and more sections of the class, more students — both those who enjoy and don’t enjoy traditional history — can now utilize the opportunity to study social studies and pursue their education under a different lens.

Moreover, this class is the first of several new social studies and non-social studies AP classes that are on the horizon to be added to EHS, according to Digiovacchino and other board members.

So that leaves one final question: Which class is next?