‘26
At Indian Hills, a certain phrase has been floating around most classrooms and hallways: “Block scheduling.” This idea of changing the schedule has raised many questions among students: What is it? What would it mean for the student body? Why do we need to change it? Would that mean there would be a later start time? Would seniors be able to leave for lunch? If not, how will we fit everyone in the cafeteria? With the Board of Education undecided on the issue, these questions have spiraled twofold. Amidst a change in Superintendent; Board of Education President; Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Articulation this fall; confusion goes unanswered and most students are unaware of what may occur if a block schedule is introduced.
A block schedule at Indian Hills would consist of A, B, C, and D days in which each day contains six class periods—with two classes dropping each day—and one unified lunch period. One key source of uncertainty is the lunch period. Many students have expressed disdain with one singular lunch period. Sophomore, Avery Gall, states, “With one singular lunch period, there will be too many people in one space. Friend groups would have to split up because they all cannot sit together at one table.” Gall argues that if every single student at Indian Hills had lunch in the cafeteria at the same time, it would be extremely crowded and uncomfortable for the students. One situation that could occur would be that students could eat lunch in different areas of the school, such as the gym and certain areas of the hallways. Unfortunately, this could result in a dirtier school because of food waste and trash that could be left over. One solution to that issue would be that seniors would be allowed to leave campus for lunch. Students at Indian Hills reacted positively to this idea. Freshman Carly Saliani commented, “I would definitely leave campus if I had the option to as a senior. It just seems right to give seniors that freedom.” However, this is a tough decision because what occurs at Indian Hills must occur at Ramapo, which is much larger than Indian Hills and has fewer options for places to go nearby.
A few schools in Bergen County have already enacted this type of schedule. For example, Ridgewood currently uses Block scheduling and, according to their student population, the change has had a positive effect, most likely because their school day begins at 8:20 am. Not only does this start time make the students happier, but it also allows them to learn with an open mind and not whilst they are drowsy. Renée Vasquez, a senior at Hills, voices, “Most of us would be a lot more energetic in the morning and we would be more receptive to the topics we’re learning.”
The question of whether Indian Hills would enact a later start time is still up in the air. According to Grace Stramiello, Indian Hills’ Transportation Administrative Assistant, Indian Hills coordinates its busing with the local schools meaning that after a bus runs its route to Indian Hills, it then moves on to a route for an elementary or middle school in the FLOW district. If we were to start later, this would throw off the start time for the other schools because the buses would be running the Indian Hills routes during the same timeframe. If the school board were to change their plan with the busing company then Indian Hills would have to pay more money since they would not be sharing the cost.
It may be surprising, but the block schedule may not even be enacted next year. Former Superintendent, Dr. Rui Dionisio, stated that he advised against voting for a new schedule due to a flurry of leadership changes. More so, the idea was not even mentioned at the BOE meeting on October 16th. This goes to show that if the student body is anxious or concerned about an upcoming schedule change, it is not necessary to worry, since the issue may even be pushed back to the point where the current students will have graduated by the time a new schedule is enacted.
