Walk through any hallway of HHS and it is likely to find classrooms with lights dimmed and movies rolling. It’s a trend that seems to only be increasing, and students have started to take notice.

Mr. Eric Swenson, social studies, is one teacher who uses movies to enhance class curriculum. Swenson shows “1776,” “Lincoln,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Cinderella Man.” in his AP US History class.

“The reason I show movies a lot of the time is to show a depiction of real people, events, or time periods,” Swenson said.

In addition, Swenson feels that films have the ability to connect and relate with students in situations where teachers cannot.

“Anytime you can link strong visuals with topic matter, it tends to stick with the brain. Particularly in a movie that has some kind of an emotional grab, students tend to remember things more if they associate it with a movie,” Swenson said.

For Ms. Felicia Homberger, English, choosing the right films for her classes is key to her curriculum.

“I think about why I’m using it. Kids can watch movies without me there, and they do. So if I’m using it, there has to be a curricular reason. And as much as kids sometimes groan, I usually have them do work with it,” Homberger said.

Students, however, don’t always see movies as useful as teachers do.

“I don’t think movies are a good educational tool.” said Jake Fieldseth, senior. “But as a student, I like when teachers show movies in class.”

Watching a film in class does not mean students can kick back and relax, however, there is often work students must complete along with the movie.

“In my Modern Nonfiction class, we’re watching the film ‘Argo.’ In addition, the kids are reading four different articles on how truthful the film was and whether it portrayed history accurately. Then we will have a debate and a discussion on that,” Homberger said.

Nevertheless, Fieldseth suggests that a classroom may not be the best setting to view movies.

“When a movie gets put on and I don’t have to look at the teacher, I usually don’t end up paying attention. It’s not just me, either,” Fieldseth said, “A movie can be educational, but I don’t think most kids watch.”

When students do watch attently, Swenson insists that movies can provide context crucial to a student’s understanding of a subject.

“They didn’t live through the great depression, they didn’t live through World War II,” Swenson said, “Yet, if they can see an accurate depiction of it on the screen, they can identify and understand the time period.”