It’s been almost a month since school started up again for Indian Hills High School students. Everyone has been settling into the rotating block schedule, but they are still giving mixed reviews of their experience so far. Conducting an informal survey across the board, from seniors to freshmen, this reporter found that what constitutes a struggle for one student may be a benefit for another. The biggest issues highlighted by Hills students included extracurricular activities, extended teaching periods, and lunchtime management and seating.
Starting school later in the morning seems to be a plus for many students, but ending school so late may not be so charming. Students with more freedom after school love the later scheduling all around. Senior Hannah Savino comments, “I am really liking this new schedule, as it offers me more sleep in the mornings and the ability to go to more clubs, since some of them meet during lunch.”
There are not enough hours in the day for those with busy schedules in and out of school. Junior Lucy Mangino argues, “My current schedule leaves me overwhelmed. I rush straight to work and get home around 7:30, only to tackle homework while trying to leave time for myself to unwind from the day. With such a rushed routine, my schoolwork and mental well-being are suffering. If we had an earlier dismissal like last year, I could come home, relax, and manage my tasks more effectively. This would allow me to balance my responsibilities and improve my overall performance.”
During this adjustment period, there is no doubt that the new schedule changes won’t be favorable for everyone. This is not only a struggle for the employed student, but also for club management teams who are facing meeting difficulties. Senior Matt Pra explains, “I struggle to find a time when all of my club staff members can attend since they either have another club meeting to go to, or because of their sports. I have sports practices that start at 3:30, and because club meetings end at the same time, I end up being late to my practices. The new 56-minute lunch period is a great time to meet, but even then, some people have other club meetings, like myself, and others may have a lab that day. I couldn’t attend a yearbook club meeting last week because I had my senior ambassador responsibilities, and I know people who had to miss out on our important TNT meeting to attend their Freshman Outreach as a senior ambassador too.”
Our school’s student athletes have demanding schedules that conflict with possible meeting times, making coordination after school difficult for them. A more likely compromise would be to host meetings during these extended lunch periods, with school labs being a variable.
A change in routine includes new things, such as rotating periods out, and a 56-minute class time instead of 45 minutes, which are proving to be controversial with students. The benefits listed include longer test-taking periods for classes permitted, a daily personalized schedule posted on Genesis for guidance, and the luxury of unfavorable classes being rotated out. Freshman Charles Pallarino notes, “I check Genesis as it’s our school portal to access grades, so I don’t truly struggle with where I have to be due to the habit I created. You really can make the most out of not having the same classes every day when it comes to the homework, too. The initial transition from middle school to high school was easier for me, as I didn’t have that traditional pressure to have every assignment done the following day.”
What students from the past years aren’t so accustomed to are the transition into “lengthy lectures.” Junior Iris Pascual expresses, “I lose focus during the new, longer periods. At the end of the day, I feel so burnt out, overloaded with information that was just tolerable during the 40-minute routine that I was used to since Freshman year.”
The biggest obstacle Indian Hills staff and students were expected to face was the mid-day lunch block. The period being much longer should positively weigh in for all grade levels sharing lunch on this much larger scale. Input from Junior Ashlan Leach, “I think that the administration handled the lunch block well. Any changes I would only ask for would be resources posted to specify where I can and cannot sit at lunch if the lunchroom and tables aren’t available. I also think next year, all upperclassmen who can drive should be allowed to leave campus for Lunch, not just seniors.”
The upside to combined lunch would include friends being able to sit and eat with each other, but inevitably, the lunchroom is overcrowded, filled with those who are looking for a table to sit with their friends, grab a prepackaged meal from a quick stand, or wait in long wrap-around lines for cafeteria food. Junior Kayden Amante comments, “Lunch is so stressful, and sitting with friends is not always guaranteed. The unit lunch feels too chaotic to be long-term; there really isn’t enough seating for everyone.”
With time passing by, Indian Hills students are further familiarized with the new system, making it less impactful due to the year’s new block-scheduling.
