The new schedule is a failed attempt at fixing something that wasn’t broken. While the new start times, in theory, are a good idea, Netflix loving teenagers are just going to stay up the extra forty minutes, making it pointless. Also, because of the later start times, students now have to battle others going to work, and George Mason University’s traffic. The new class schedules are not only confusing, but also a pain to wrap one’s head around. On clocks like these, who can tell when the minute hand reaches “9:37”?

Learning seminar is completely disorganized. While it is supposed to act as a sort of raise period for students, it is usually abused by the teachers who will ignore students’ need for the extra time, and teach through the hour and a half. Also, with the constant rotation of classes, some students can’t always find which class to go to.

The new, later start time is also a big oversight. If the goal was to get students to sleep later, the administration has failed. Students will just stay up later, instead of going to bed at the same time they did last year. In fact, due to the later start time, students are lulled into a false sense of security. Say, for example, a student wakes up at 7. This student would begin to realize that they could stay up until midnight and still get seven hours of much needed sleep. However, what this student doesn’t realize, is that their sleep cycle is being seriously messed up; this will only bring back the unhealthy sleep habits that was prevalent during the old schedule year.

The new passing times are also another problem. There are students who have to go to the mods, to their locker, then to gym. The blatant disregard for students time has also affected social lives in a negative manner. The need for a recess, or break, part way through school is incredibly important to a student’s well being.

In KQED article “Do High Schoolers Need Recess?”, it is said that “many of today’s teens face a lot of pressure in their daily lives …  with top colleges holding applicants to higher standards than ever before, some parents and schools are pushing students to take on even more responsibilities … but according to a growing body of research, people learn better if they are given breaks during their day”.

Before, with the 10 minute passing time, students would often get around 4 or 5 minutes to refresh their minds, and talk with friends. With this schedule, however, students get next to no time to prepare themselves, mentally and physically, for their next class. Students now need to move incredibly quickly through the halls in order to make their classes on time. This means that the already crowded hallways will become more congested, and using the bathroom between class periods has become extinct.

Afterschool sports and activities may provide another black cloud. With the end time of school being twenty five minutes later, sports and other after school activities get out much later. The late busses get out just in time for the five o’clock rush hour, once again, making traffic an issue. Due to this, students will be getting home later, therefore doing homework later.

Lunch being pushed back has also caused some problems. This means that students get hungrier, and have less energy as the school day treads on. When it is finally time for lunch, students have less time to get there and back. Those who are in the mods have to almost run in order to get to lunch on time.

The library schedule, too, has also become a problem for students. Open before for around a half hour, the library is now open for only 20 minutes before school starts. Students now have to rush through various projects and research that needs to be done instead of taking the time needed to do their work, thus having a negative effect on their grade.  

In short, the new schedule and start times have messed up students in more ways than one. Despite the later start time, students are still dog-tired. The new learning seminar is just an excuse for teachers to teach for an extra 1.5 hours. RAISE starting in October was another unnecessary change that just further confused students. The passing times are barely survivable, and students aren’t happy. It would have been better if the school had not even changed the schedule, or, even better, had actually gotten some student input during these massive changes.