Bell schedule change advances for second semester November 22, 2021 — by Christina Chang and Lynn Dai The board unanimously supported three of six possible schedules.During its Nov. 16 meeting, the five-member district board unanimously agreed to modify the bell schedule to incorporate a daily tutorial starting next semester, but nothing has been finalized yet. Among the six possible schedules, the board unanimously supported three but didn’t yet settle on a final decision: Choice A, consisting of 85-minute periods and 10 minute passings, was favored among students in survey for the uniformity of start-stop times in periods; Choice C, consisting of 88-minute periods and 8-minute passings; and Choice F, consisting of 90-minute periods and 5-minute passings. Two board members supported reducing class minutes from 90 to 88, two supported reducing it to 85 and one disagreed with both options. The board also noted that students favored increasing lunch time, and agreed to organize a change in the bell schedule by the end of this semester. The district surveyed staff, students and parents in an effort to figure out a better alternative to the widely criticized new bell schedule that was rolled out in August. The biggest criticism was the lack of a daily tutorial. A potential sticking point is the ending time of 7th period on Red Days, which would go to 3:55 in some versions from the current 3:45. 2 views this weekAbout the contributorsChristina ChangChristina Chang, Class of 2023, is an Editor-In-Chief of the '22-'23 Falcon staff. Previously, she served as a Sports Editor and local events beat writer for the '21-'22 staff and a Reporter and Layout Artist for the '20-'21 staff. During her time with The Falcon, she covered community news like the breakdown of city budget allocations and the first Blossom Festival post-COVID; wrote a series addressing mental health; profiled teacher friendships amid the pandemic; reported on the return of in-person learning and sports after shelter-in-place; and authored a narrative reflecting on her own basketball journey of eight years. Christina was named one of four finalists for Youth Journalism International's 2023 Student Journalist of the Year and one of seven finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association's 2022 Writer of the Year. She has received 23 journalism awards at the international, national and regional levels; her works have been recognized by Youth Journalism International, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Santa Clara University. To further her journalism experience, she attended workshops during summer 2022 hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, California Scholastic Press Association and Stanford Daily. She will fondly remember The Falcon as a highlight of her high school years, and will forever cherish the memories created during monthly deadline nights, enjoying catered food and chatting with fellow staff members while rushing to finish each print edition. Outside of the J-room, she enjoys getting involved in the community through volunteering with local nonprofits and school clubs as well as exploring her interests and creativity through art.Lynn DaiLynn Dai, Class of '24, is an Editor-in-Chief of the 2023-24 staff. She was previously an In-Depth Editor and Art Director, and enjoys covering feature profiles and stories on Saratoga history. She is a National Medalist of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for Journalism and a 1st Place winner of Youth Journalism International, and her work is featured in The Stanford Daily and Cision PR Newswire. When she’s not blasting 2010s pop songs on loop in the J-Room, she loves visiting art galleries, running with her senior friends on Saturday mornings, and watching nature documentaries.