By: Shira Gabay
Toward the end of the last school year, teachers, students, and family members were scared to see how the new A/B schedule would go at the two high schools, Westhill and Stamford High. This schedule had already been implemented at 1 of the 3 public high schools in Stamford: AITE.
This schedule seems to have worked well for AITE, with the feedback that students had more time to do schoolwork and liked that they had the ability to leave early. The community was not sure if students would have the attention span for this and if teachers would be able to teach for 90 minutes at the other two high schools.
At the start of the school year, it was difficult for students to adjust to the 90-minute classes, coming in from summer break when students had not sat in a classroom for over two months. Nicole Peru (‘23) of Westhill said: “It allowed me more time for flexibility.” With free periods in a senior’s schedule, this ensures more than enough time for high school and college work to get done.
One of the other reasons the district of Stamford went through with this schedule was because this allows students to get 8 credits per year rather than 7, which students previously got with a 1-7 period schedule. This gives the school a higher graduation rate since it leaves time for four more credits to be received during their high school years.
This schedule allows students to have more time to do school work. Only having a class every other day gives students two days to complete assignments, as well as study over a few days for better grades and retention.
Seniors now have the ability to come late and leave early, letting students leave early for jobs if needed. The internship schedule was also reformed this year so people who have early release can start their internships in January. This allows more time to gain skills from an internship, but students who do not have early release cannot participate in internships. Late arrival also has its benefits which includes letting sleep-deprived teens catch up on sleep.
These two schools are only about half way through the year, so nothing is perfect and there are still flaws in the schedule, like learning how to sit for 90 minutes. So far, with more flexibility, a longer time to study, and more credits, the majority of students at Westhill look forward to the rest of the year.