Students find some relief in this year’s schedule changes

Screen Shot 2013-11-20 at 9.03.52 AMBy Rebecca Childs | Staff writer

scheduleIndian Trail High School and Academy has undergone several changes since the 2008-9 referendum. As students fumble through the halls, schedule changes affect their lives. From the 2010 school year through this 2013-14 school year, the schedule has been varying.

Since 2010, block scheduling was exchanged for an eight-period day, then a seven-period day; lunches were split into four blocks, then three, then four again; there was a credit cap set to seven credits per year, but then removed and changed to a credit minimum; and, new this year, on Fridays students are released an hour early.

“It was hard to get used to every year,” said Destinee Kammer, a Biotechnology senior.

She said the 2013-14 schedule is preferable to the 2012-13 schedule, however she “loved freshmen year’s (block) schedule.”

The credit cap set a limit of seven credits per year, while a school day ran eight periods in the 2012-13 school year. To settle this, students were required to take a seminar period, audit a class, or take a release. “I hated the credit cap,” said Peter Ramsey, a Business Academy senior. Because of the credit minimum he will graduate with more credits than he needs. Destinee Kammer sees this as a positive.

“The extra credits will look good for colleges,” she said, “which is what the School Board is looking for.” Seniors report that they prefer the 2013-14 schedule to all but the 2010-11 schedule. They see the 2013-14 schedule as easier, and praise the Friday early release.

The early Friday release “gives us more free time before having to go slave at work,” said Kammer.

“I like the early Friday dismissal. One, we get to go home early. Two, teachers can meet together,” said Rachel Boris, a Comprehensive senior.

The lunch schedule changes have come to accommodate an exponentially increasing student population, which Indian Trail administrators report as around 2200 as of the beginning of 2013-14 school year. The three-segmented lunch could not accommodate the population, so Indian Trail resumed the four-segmented lunch.

Students seem split upon this issue. Some enjoy the new four-block lunch, while others complain that it is not enough.

Boris maintains that the problems of years past persist.

“I think the lunch schedule is an absolute failure. There are tons of students at Indian Trail High. There needs to be a number of lunch periods suitable to the number of students,” she said.

Schedule changes—as all changes are — are difficult to get used to, and scare most people. However it seems Indian Trail’s seniors are adaptive. The upperclassmen have experienced the changing school, but the underclassmen will see the results.