As the novelty of the new school year comes to a close, students comment on the adjusted schedule.
“[The schedule is implemented to] give students more opportunities within the school day to take classes outside of core academic classes in which students may have interest, but may not have had time to take,” principal Adam Desautels said in an email sent to students and families last February.
Desautels said that he was excited for this change but he recommended that students learn how to balance their school life with extracurriculars, their family and friends.
Clubs at school are also feeling the pressure to help find the balance for students, said senior and TSA co-president Allan Dao.
“[The new schedule] is really limiting the potential clubs have…we’re starting to schedule things similarly,” Dao said, “so I’m a little worried about how people have to choose one club over the other,” he said.
There are some benefits to losing club time though, said ASB president Maya Oleynikova.
“We all know a student or two who will sign up for [a lot of] clubs just to put it on their college applications; in that regard, it helps to concentrate interests so the people who want to be a part of the club will make time for it,” Oleynikova said.
Yet, it is difficult for students to find time to partake in these clubs, said senior and ASB Vice President Owain Waszak.
According to Dao, many clubs do not have ample time to meet during the day so they have resorted to meeting after school, but some students do not have the time to stay.
“Almost without exception, I have little to no free time during the school week,” Waszak said.
However, the implementation of Viking Time and mid-week block can spread out the amount of work students have, one survey respondent said. Viking Time gives students the opportunity to talk to teachers or to have a break between block periods.
“If it weren’t for Viking time then I could never ask my teachers for help outside of class,” Waszak said, he said he feels this way because of other pressures that prevent him from being able to talk to teachers outside of class.
The survey results reflect this mood—about 66% of responders said they favor Viking Time over seven periods or mid-week block. Respondents did not have a least favorite part about the new schedule, but many seemed to feel overwhelmed with seven periods, indicating that teachers have not yet adjusted to it.
Junior Alicia Jurado said that “It’s pretty difficult because they seem to care or notice that students may be adding extra pressures, because for me, life isn’t just school.”
