With the 4J school district’s new schedule this year, there have been many changes that have affected both the student body and the staff. Last year’s trimesters have been replaced by a semester system with classes on an ABC rotation.The class periods on A and B days are 90 minutes, 20 minutes longer than the class periods were in the trimester schedule. Wednesday classes are only 30 minutes long, with a 35-minute advisory. Other changes, such as moving early release from Friday to Wednesday, and extending the passing period from five minutes to ten minutes, have also been made.

One upside of the 90 minute periods is that staff get longer prep periods on every day except Wednesdays.

“Prep time is definitely better,” math teacher Jamey-Heather Davis said. “I’m able to get a lot more done during contract hours, so I don’t need to work at home quite so much.” But seeing students fewer days a week has already had an impact on student-teacher relationships.

“The biggest difference [from the last schedule] is that I’m not seeing students daily, and it’s hard to connect with students when you only see them two-three times a week,” Davis said.

Other teachers share the same experience.

“What is most challenging for me is not seeing my students every day,” teacher Alison Dodd said. “I really like my students and miss them when I don’t see them.”

Meanwhile, students are also affected by the new system. South juniors Alex Lind and Nathan Huang-Jones brought up the complexities of the Wednesday schedule. “Having affinity groups during class [on Wednesdays] is problematic,” said Huang-Jones. With the new schedule came the opportunity for affinity groups to meet during their advisor’s prep period on Wednesdays, but this also means that students in affinity groups meeting on Wednesdays have to miss class to attend.

Alex Lind agreed. “Teachers are losing time to teach class. [And having] advisory every week is excessive and repetitive. You could take that time and put it to where it matters.”

“Scheduled advisory is good, just not every single week,” Huang-Jones finished.

Other students also thought the Wednesday schedule wasn’t ideal.

“The Wednesdays are chaotic and it’s hard to learn,” said South Senior Tzofia Hoffman. “It’s not possible to retain any information. Thirty minute classes are way too short.”

The number of classes on Wednesdays is also a problem raised by students.

“Wednesdays are tiring,” said senior Christina Saliba. “They decided to cram not eight, but nine classes into an even shorter day.”

However, some students also had positive things to say for A B days.

“Classes are long, but I can handle it,” Hoffman said. “I like the A B schedule because students can get more done in one class, and also do bigger projects and more in-depth discussions.”

“The other days are not so bad,” Saliba agreed. “I like the ten minute passing period, which is especially helpful if someone has a [far away] class.”

Although, some students considered the longer passing period unnecessary. “They could put some of the [passing period] minutes into lunch or break,” South Senior Andy Eaton said.

Being able to concentrate for the whole 90 minute periods on A and B days was also an issue raised by some students. And now that the year is split into semesters instead of trimesters, students have classes less frequently, but for several weeks longer than before. Last year’s trimesters were 12 weeks, and semesters are now 18 weeks each.

“I really liked being able to take [a class] for a short period of time versus long,” said Senior Emma Bergman. “It feels more experimental and fun.”

Since the new schedule has only been in effect for a short time, South is still adjusting. “We have to wait to make any judgment,” Davis said. “ [But] I can see it going smoothly in the future.”

The new schedule this year has been both challenging and helpful for members of the South community. The 30-minute class periods on Wednesdays were overall disliked, and the 90-minute periods on A and B days received both praise and critique. But South is still adjusting to the schedule, and it will take time to see how effective it is.

Article by Theodore Hennings