By Sergio Arvizu-Rivera ’23

THE ROUNDUP

With the new AMDG protocols put into place and split lunches enforced, students and staff are working hard to adapt 8th hour into their daily routine. 

In the weeks before students returned to school, Brophy announced a new set of AMDG protocols concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The AMDG protocols said that lunch would be split into two seperate groups. This brought a new challenge for teachers and students due to the fact many would host clubs or office hours during these times.

The AMDG Return Manual described 8th hour as a period “to provide space for students to gather with each other, as well as faculty and staff, so that we can build community safely as we are accustomed to doing.”

“I feel that there is a loss of connectivity with others just because we are not in person,” said  Kyle Tran ’21. “What I think last year what made this effective was how close we were and how we were really close as a team but doing this over a laptop and having to talk with our friends through a camera kind of feels more exhausting than really enjoyable.”

Tran also mentioned that some students have to make decisions regarding what clubs they attend because they can only attend four total meetings per week.

Teachers have also had to move their office hours, which were previously held during lunch, from 3-3:30 p.m. due to the new split lunch schedule. 

With office hours now being held after school, some teachers have seen an influx of students asking for help. 

“There has been an increase in students popping into my Zoom office hours link much more then my office hours previously that were live after school,” said AP Statistics and Honors Pre-Calculus teacher Mr. Jerry Zander.

Mr. Zander stated that teachers and students should have the option of holding 8th hour after lunch restrictions are lifted. 

With over 50 clubs active at Brophy during the 2020 school year, club moderators and teachers are finding it hard to meet during the four days that 8th hour is held. 

 Mr. William Rutt ’08 compared 8th hour to regular lunch time before the split, saying it is extremely difficult to cram so many clubs into one period of fifty minutes. 

“I don’t know I think you we have oscillated and moved with students schedules kind of regularly… I think it is more of a discussion that has to happen in the club,” said Mr. Rutt when asked if he would like to continue 8th hour after clubs are more free to choose when they meet.