BY TORI HOCHENDONER
Internet Editor

The proposed advisory period may have a new name, but no timetable for implementation has been set.
Last year Principal Dr. Walter Graves proposed trimming a few minutes from before first period and from each class throughout the day to create a short period at the end of the day where students could get help from teachers.
In July administrators throughout the school district attended a conference hosted by Dr. Michael Rettig, a national expert on scheduling. At the conference Rettig used the term enrichment period, instead of advisory, which Graves has considered adapting.
“Although there is no specific time the new schedule would go into effect, I would like to possibly run a trial of the new enrichment period this year to learn more details, then fully implement it into the schedule next year,” Graves said.
Graves also has considered only putting the schedule into effect two to three times a week.
Last year a committee of teachers met regularly with Graves to discuss possible period schedules. Students also were asked for feedback in their homerooms.
No decision was made, however, so this year started without an advisory period.
Graves plans on meeting with the committee from last year one more time, which would allow more students to be involved in a group discussion.
“Since the enrichment period is all about the students, I want the whole committee to meet collectively so everyone can share their ideas,” Graves said.
Graves said he is interested in hearing what ideas students have regarding the enrichment period.
“I want our students to have more input on what they could do during the half hour that we would fit into the school day,” Graves said.
“I want to enhance the opportunities our students could envision happening during the enrichment period that they do not have time to do in our current schedule,” Graves said.
At this point, though, some students do not feel the need to have the period put into the school day at all.
“I just didn’t think it would add anything to the day. But if more students were involved, it would show what we want more,” junior Stevie Kisty said.
Junior Olivia Altavilla at first believed the extra period was a good idea, but after she thought about it she didn’t like the idea as much.
“I thought the tutoring aspect they were planning seemed like a good idea, but I just don’t know how it would work because there are only so many teachers, so they couldn’t tutor all of their students at once,” Altavilla said.