The Upper School implemented a year-round block schedule year-round for the first time this school year.

The administration had put together a steering committee for developing the schedule, and Mr. Daniel Hudkins headed the operations part of the committee that the administration had put together to develop the schedule.

“There was a fairly strong feeling among many members of the faculty that we needed to do something to help students lead more balanced lives, ” he said, “whether that was how do we get out of monster Monday where you have homework for everything every weekend to how do we provide a little more sense of space.”

During January and February of the 2015-16 school year, the administration scheduled a four-week pilot period to test during which the new block schedule was tested. After receiving positive feedback, the pilot period was extended by two more weeks, and the schedule-planning committees decided to alter certain aspects of the schedule based on suggestions to continue implementation during the next school year.

Members of the Challenge Success team, a group of faculty and students that meets during the school year to discuss student well-being, discussed responses to the pilot schedule. Senior representative Sandip Nirmel organized and sent out a survey to gather responses.

“To get more input from students, we sent out a school-wide survey that asked respondents to reflect on sources of stress and see how a block bell schedule might help increase student well-being,” Sandip said. “The responses we received were very telling and definitely played into the final product.”

Some of the major changes in the new schedule include 85-minute class periods every other day, alternating lengths of lunches, more extra help periods and consistent ending times.

“Under the new block schedule, each class meets only two to three times per week, meaning that a student has a maximum of four classes on a particular day, giving them more flexibility with completing assignments on time,” he said. “Besides, since each class period is now longer, teachers have more flexibility when it comes to preparing class activities, from lectures to hands-on projects.”

While faculty had mixed opinions on the new schedule, Hudkins outlined the general attitude after surveying the teachers.

“The very positive attitude across the faculty, whether people agreed or disagreed, has been really encouraging,” Hudkins said.

The bell schedule officially began on the first day of school on Aug. 22, with periods one to four on the first day, five to seven on the second, and then alternating for the rest of the year.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 26, 2016.