Returning students will notice some major changes to the bell schedule.An extra minute, shorter lunches and additional block days have all been put in place for this school year.

The administration added a minute to each passing period this year to allow students to get to class and not be tardy. With the growing student population, Principal Dr. Jeff Stichler said this was something that would be beneficial to students.

“Last year, a lot of students were not getting to class on time,” he said

According to Associate Principal William Kelly, the number of tardies from Sept. 4-7 were 636, which was before the minute was added on Sept. 10. After the minute was added, the number of tardies decreased to 537 from Sept. 11-17.

Fashion design teacher Kelley McCurry said the new schedule helps students going from one end of the building to the other.
“I think the added minute is fair to the kids who come from the other side of the school,” she said.

Algebra I teacher Susannah Gonzalez is in favor of the extra minute.

“I like the added minute because less students are asking to go to the bathroom in my class, therefore they are going during the class change,” she said.

Senior Rene Ortega likes the added minute because he gets to class on time.

“I’m never tardy,” he said

Sophomore Ashton Rutland likes the added minute because she can go to the bathroom and not be tardy.

“If I have to go to the bathroom I can actually go,” she said.

Biology teacher Trisha Merchant thinks that the extra minute is beneficial to the students because it has made “a big difference in the number of kids that are tardy.”

Reduced Lunch Time

In addition to the extra minute, administrators also shortened lunches and added more block days.

Associate Principal Nancy Kahn said that in the past several years, it appeared that by the last five minutes of each lunch, most students were finished eating their lunch and were just sitting waiting for the bell to ring to go to class.

Therefore, that extra time could be used as instructional time in the classroom which benefits student learning.

“Students now have two to three more minutes a day in each of their classes, which adds up to at least 10 more minutes in each class per week; approximately 40 more minutes per month; 360 more minutes per school year, which totals to be more than seven more days of class time,” Kahn said.

Administrators have watched the lines level out now that students have figured out which lines to go to and cafeteria personnel are thinking about adding another lunch line as well.

Junior Kayla Robinson is not in favor of the shortened lunches.

”I hate it, after I get my food, I have like three minutes to eat,” she said.

Rutland is also not a fan of the shortened lunches.

“The lines take forever and I never have time to eat,” she said.

Kahn said administrators are looking into adding another lunch line to speed up students getting their lunches.
Other students, like freshman Cadence Rehbein, are fine with it.

“I think it’s fine I finish all of my lunch and I still get to socialize with my friends,” she said. “I mean it does help that I pack my lunch.”