After the multiple schedule changes and complicated start to the previous school year before finally reverting to normalcy, the administration at AISG has once again figured out a new schedule for students to adhere to. However, this time, it seems to address many of the complaints and issues that students and teachers alike had with the previous schedules. While, at first glance, many students were apprehensive about the earlier starting time and later ending time (7:55 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. respectively) and the fact that there is no homeroom block in the mornings, this has allowed for a 45-minute “activity” block to be added before lunch each day while keeping the same class lengths and lunch break length.
“I think these blocks are nice to have. Because we’re seniors now, we need this time to do stuff we would normally have to do at home,” says senior Alex K. “It also gives us time to meet with teachers that we would not have otherwise.”
On top of this, Wednesdays are now always early release days, with the majority of the student body being off campus by 2:00 p.m. Despite all of these on-paper benefits, students have also expressed their dismay with this system.
“I like all the positives of the new schedule, but the time between classes is just too short,” says sophomore Angela L. “It’s too hard to pack up and walk over from the language building or the gym to the main building in five minutes, and even the teachers have given up on us making it to class on time.”
Overall, this schedule makes many improvements to the older ones. It adds much more time for events and for independent study time for students (especially the IB students who need it most). While it does make sacrifices in the form of longer overall school days and shorter transition times, it seems as though the majority of the student body is in favor of the new schedule in the long term, albeit slightly apprehensive about the changes currently.