In the past years, SHS’s schedule comprised of two classes, advisement, one class, lunch, and lastly three classes bringing us to 2 P.M. Students had four minutes between classes.
This year is different.
Do we have less time to get from class to class? Would students prefer the old bell schedule?
This school year of 2023-2024 has a new timely fashion for us all.
Now, with two classes in between every break, students and teachers are adjusting. After speaking to both parties, opinions about the change vary.
The new and ‘improved’ schedule contains one less minute as a passing period. What used to be four minutes and plenty of time to go to the bathroom or get a quick word in with teachers has shrunk to three. Sam Fadden, Class of 24’ states, “I personally, strongly dislike the new bell schedule. I don’t have time to go from class to class and use the bathroom in between.”
This struggle that Sam has affects teachers because she arrives late due to this time being shortened. Even our teachers are feeling this problem.
“The three minutes goes by really fast. I know rationally it’s only sixty seconds that we lost… I used to have time to go the bathroom and I feel like I can’t effectively do that anymore,” says Ms. Madison Taylor, a teacher at SHS.
Along with our new tardy system in school, it sometimes feels like a recipe for disaster. Kids are used to this extra minute that has disappeared.
Despite the bad, there can be light at the end of the tunnel.
When we think of going out to lunch, some of the most popular answers for time would be around 1 P.M. or a little earlier. Well, in the past students ate lunch at approximately 10:45 A.M. With our updated schedule the new and improved lunch time sits at 11:45 A.M.
Personally, along with my fellow students and teachers, I call this a win. Sam Fadden shared, “I understand why they did it… It evens out my day a little better and makes the day feel as though it goes by faster.”
Even Miss. Taylor agrees with this choice of the time of day for lunch, “I like having later lunch… when we had lunch at 10:45 A.M I wo
uld not be able to wait until 1 o’clock [for lunch on the weekend] when we weren’t in school.” Perhaps this is a positive change to our new schedule.
We have less time getting from class to class. We now have a more reasonably timed lunch. There are multiple ways this change affects the people of Sutton High School. The teachers as well as us students at SHS, must pick our battles.
How does this new bell schedule affect you?
Do you like the new bell schedule or do you wish we could return to the old one? Sorry, there was an error loading this poll.
Lea Lamoreaux • Sep 26, 2023 at 9:05 am
I really like the new bell schedule because I expected my lunch to be at 10:45, but it was changed to 11:45 which is a more reasonable time. This was a great article!
Ted McCarthy • Sep 23, 2023 at 8:57 am
Hi Marina –
I wonder if the poll was Later lunch & 3 minutes of passing time OR early lunch and 4 minutes of passing time what the vote would have been?
Nice job –
Mr. McCarthy