School experiments with different Wednesday schedule

The administration tested out a new pilot Wednesday bell schedule with tutorial between fourth and fifth period rather than after sixth on May 17 and May 24.

Assistant principal Joe Bosco said the experimental schedule resulted from a schoolwide student survey, in which 63.8 percent of students answered that tutorials would be better utilized between fourth and fifth period and 62.5 percent of those who answered such said they would not mind having lunch 30 minutes later.

“The fact is that you can see everyone leaving after sixth period on Wednesdays and we see teachers sitting in their classrooms by themselves, so nobody was really utilizing [tutorial],” said Bosco.

Although certain teachers always have full rooms during tutorial there were enough teachers sitting in empty rooms for this new pilot program to be called for.

Even though the administration’s goal was to have more people utilize tutorial, many students did not like the new schedule.

“I feel that embedding the tutorial actually shortens the tutorial time for students because usually when it isn’t embedded teachers will often let us stay and work after tutorial ends, which is more flexible,” said sophomore Sachi Dholakia.

One of the main reasons the embedded tutorial was tested was that many parents felt that the reason their student did not attend Wednesday tutorial was that it was after school and students want to go home after school. But chemistry teacher Jenny Garcia said her room is just as crowded on a Wednesday tutorial before a test as a Monday tutorial before a test.

“In my opinion, if students need to use tutorial they will come and the fact that it is after school does not deter those who really need help,” said Garcia.

This different tutorial schedule also causes students to get out later from school at 3:05 p.m., a change undesirable for some students.

“Sixth period ends too late,” said junior Tim Lycurgus. “Students have to miss the end of school because of sports and will end up missing all of sixth. It would be better for them to go to class than to have an extra tutorial.”

While it seems that not many students like the new schedule, Bosco asserts that is is often hard to please everyone.

“There are pluses and minuses with everything, as for whether or not people like it, it depends on who you talk to. There wasn’t a large outpouring one way or the other,” said Bosco.

If the reaction to this new tutorial is positive enough, this new schedule is possible for next year, Bosco said.