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Schedule proposals would benefit student health

Starting next September, the school district intends to change the high school schedule.  These changes include a later start time and consequental later release, longer passing periods, combined lunch, and a Response To Intervention (RTI), otherwise known as tutorial, period twice a week.  

We at The Olympian mostly like the proposals since a later start means students can sleep in more, which has been proven to help with focus and alertness in school.  This could improve student performance in many areas, and students wouldn’t fall asleep in class as often. In addition, the study hall could help students with homework load, and tutorial periods could allow students to get extra help on subjects they might be struggling with, another factor that could improve student performance during school.  Our school would also be on a more similar schedule to that of other schools.  Later starting times would also mean that during the winter months, zero peiod students wouldn’t have to come to school while its dark out.

However, we are concerned about how the change of schedule would change things for extracurricular activities like sports and clubs. They would have to meet later and end later, meaning later nights of homework for many students. Student athletes would also miss more class time when they get excused early to go to events. In addition, many parents take their kids to school on their way to work. If the schedule changes, many students would have to find another way to get to school if their parents are not able to take them at the new time. The schedule change would also include combined lunch, leading to a more crowded campus at lunch. Upperclassmen and freshmen alike would likely object.

Our staff is also concerned that the tutorial period could be unproductive and turn into a waste of time if students don’t take it seriously.  We hope that this can be prevented by making meaningful tutorial activities so that students will take it more seriously.  This could be done by giving a variety of options to students that could be interested in different things so that they aren’t bored and the period doesn’t become a waste of time.

We at the Olympian believe that the schedule change is a good idea because there would be many benefits to starting school later, and having tutorial periods twice a week.

14 thoughts on “Schedule proposals would benefit student health

  • Carime Martinez

    I think its a good idea however I also disagree because its not fair to stay in until 4pm. It would mess with our homework time and sports schedule.

  • Gianna Delgado

    Considering it will be my last year if high school next year, I don’t really mind the schedule change because it would be cool to experience something different. I understand why people don’t like it, but personally for me it wouldn’t affect me in a bad way, if anything I think it would benefit me a lot.

  • Kathy rattanavong

    I don’t think there should be a schedule change at all because 20 extra minutes of sleep won’t do much and getting out of school later isn’t going to mess with sports schedules.

  • Freshta Ehsan

    I honestly feel like the schedule we have right now is fine because we get out at a good time. I just wish block days were a shorter amount of time.

  • Mara Moysen

    A change without any preparations isn’t the best choice when it will affect the students the most. The best choice would have been to anticipate the measure g construction changes and prepare for it in advance with better choices that aren’t so affecting when it comes to a time change.

  • Eliza Zamudio

    It’s nice that school would start later in order to get more sleep, but getting out later could possibly effect other student’s extra curricular activities after school. Plus, having combined lunches eveyday would be way too crowded.

  • Christine Wei

    I don’t think a later start would really benefit students’ health. Going to school later means getting out of school later and therefore means we need to stay up even later doing our homework. Although studies have shown students will have a better performance at school if school starts at around 9, it is also important for the students to go to bed early to have a good rest. Also, being a “morning lark”, I personally prefer getting up early than staying up late.

  • Marcella Ku

    I believe that the schedule change will not be that wise for the school year. Many extracurricular activities will be harmed as students will have to meet at later times and therefore have to do homework even later. Students will still be tired and the tutorial period will have no effect on anyone. It will just be a waste of everyone’s time. Tutorials are ineffective and not all students support this.

  • Arianna Creed

    I think that we should do the complete opposite, by starting earlier and ending earlier, that’s what I did at my old school and we had very high rating

  • TARA NG

    Although, the schedule change has many benefits, there are just as many flaws too. Later starts will definitely help with my sleep schedule, but the late releases will interfere with my after school activities, especially golf practice and matches, when it is in season.

  • Alexis L

    I don’t really like the idea of changing the schedule because I feel like it’s not going to be very beneficial to us. I also don’t like the idea of tutorial because I feel like people aren’t actually going to get anything done in these free tutorials. I don’t feel like it will do a lot more good because I feel like people still are going to have the same amount of work and pull all nighters either way. Plus students who leave class early would miss even more of their 7th period for spots and other things

  • Kylie Rojas

    I like the new schedule because of the later start to the day and the RTI period with shorter block days which make it easier to start on homework. However , i don’t know how productive i’m going to be and ending school at 4 definitely interferes with extracurriculars.

  • If we gonna have schedule change I think we should copy the Albany High (CA) School Bell schedule because they are schedule can fit everyone who go to cvhs.

  • Kayla jordan

    I don’t like the new schedule because i think getting out of school at 4 is too late. Combination lunch is also too crowded there’s not enough room/seats on our campus for that many students to share a lunch we don’t even have enough seats now. 8:30 start would be nice but not with all the things that come with it.

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