By Hayden Welty ’19
THE ROUNDUP
As you walk around campus this first month of school, it is likely you will see freshmen asking upperclassmen for clarification about the schedule.
As a freshman, I was confused by the seemingly unpredictable and pointless barrage of numbers that I was required to memorize during an already hectic week. However, as time progressed and I was able to adjust to high school, I actually began to admire the rotation that contributed to a well-rounded week of classes.
Although I do not know exactly who invented the schedule and what they wished to achieve, I still believe that I understand their intentions.
For many, the school week is a monotonous, tedious routine that is unnecessarily constant.
But the general structure of our classes is different from other school schedules in two main ways: during the week, the order of classes is constantly changing, and each class only takes place four days a week.
By not listing the same classes in the same order every day all year, the schedule allows for more variety and flexibility in the academic calendar. At the same time, it requires students to cope with more responsibility by forcing them to learn crucial skills like time management and personal accountability.
The schedule also gives students a much-needed break from the unwavering intensity of a rigorous school week in the form of “late start” on Wednesday mornings, when school starts an hour late, and “early release” on Friday afternoons, when school gets out an hour early.
Because the schedule requires classes to meet only four times a week, it shaves off two additional hours of school, which provides extra opportunities for students to catch up on schoolwork, snag some extra sleep or just simply relax.
These are invaluable breaks from the stress of a difficult week.
Those seemingly random sequence of numbers provide a sense of variety that spices up the school day.
So the next time a freshman approaches and asks what the next period is, tell them not to worry. Many people have trouble gripping the routine at first, but after a couple of weeks, they will learn to love it.
