This past month NRHS piloted a new schedule. The schedule was put into place to see if it might work better for both teachers and students as we get ready for our new school. From October 7th to October 25th, the entire high school community experienced a new flex period, longer periods, three lunches, and a drop one rotation. The Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedules were very similar; they were long periods that were almost an hour long unlike on Tuesday and Thursday where the classes were shortened, having a flex period after the first two classes.
The flex block was created to have a scheduled time to work with a teacher, go on school field trips, join guidance seminars, and a variety of other things. Flex block choices were organized through myflexlearning.com. One example of a flex block option was an “in-school” field trip with the geothermal company working on building our new school.
The Regional asked a few students to share their personal opinions about the pilot schedule. Grace Jusseaume said, “I liked that we dropped a class every day, but didn’t like how early the lunch was.” She also liked the flex block saying, “I liked that it was time in the day that we didn’t have to worry about doing school work and being in a class.” Nora Farrell also said she liked the schedule “because of the longer lunches and shorter long block, and dropping a class felt like a reward. The flex was fun because there were activities and felt like a break during the day making up for the long classes.” Lastly, Faith Windzio said, “Yes, I liked the new schedule, because I liked how we dropped a class. It was less stressful knowing I had an extra day to complete the work.” Many students liked this new schedule better than our original.
I also asked a few teachers about their experience with teaching during this schedule and how they liked it. Ms. Foley stated, “I do like the new schedule better. I see a ton of potential with the flex blocks and, although it will take some getting used to, I also liked the 3 lunches and the drop one.” A common flaw people have found in the new schedule was the passing periods after the lunches, because the different days had a different amount of time, making it harder for students to remember the exact times to be in their classes, and not enough time for teachers to use restrooms quickly before classes showed up. Mrs. Van Toorn said, “I liked it. It needs work, and a couple of things to work out, but I like the general idea and the longer classes. Flex is a good time for extra help and makeup work because it is hard for students to make things up.” She also said that she wishes “the times were the same every day because they were hard to remember.”
Overall the pilot schedule seems to be liked by staff and many students. There are a few flaws that need to be worked out but hopefully, the high school will put something into place that can accommodate everyone’s needs.
