By Maura Kay

The high school will not switch to a nine-period school day next year, but that and other scheduling options will be studied for possible adoption in the 2013-14 year.           

“It is our goal to look at our current schedule and evaluate whether it is serving our needs, now and into the future,” Principal Kevin O’Toole said.

O’Toole and a task force of teachers and administrators this year have been investigating a nine-period school day. Their study will continue into the upcoming school year, and will broaden to include other possible scheduling configurations as well.     

“What we do now is good, but we are always looking to improve. If a change in bell schedule can help us do that, then it is something we want to do,” he said.                                                                                       

With the variety and abundance of classes offered at the high school, the course selection process for underclassmen does not come without certain sacrifices.

To create workable schedules, students often bypass interesting electives and even drop lunches. Last year, labs were added to honors biology and chemistry classes, limiting schedules even further.              

“Each year, we see students having to make unfortunate choices in scheduling because they don’t have enough room. We’ve looked hard at a nine-period day as one way to help kids and the task force continues to look at additional scheduling models for possible implementation in the 2013-14 school year,” O’Toole said.                                                                                                                           

This year, while exploring the option of a nine-period day, the task force looked into several ways to find time for an additional period. Subtracting a few minutes from each of the current eight periods has been one idea, along with the suggestion of a morning homeroom.                                                     

 Guidance supervisor Stephanie McHugh said that one advantage of a nine-period day would be to allow for more elective choices.

 “We have a fantastic assortment of electives, so we want our kids to be able to take them,” McHugh said.                                                                                                                                                                                         

Art teacher Tina Walsh said she has noticed how the current eight-period day has restricted some students during course selection.

“If done correctly, an extra period would provide much more of an opportunity for students to take electives,” Walsh said.

The impacts of a change in schedule would be widespread, extending to all students and staff. 

Dr. Lisa Klein, chair of the English department, raised concerns about a nine-period day option.

“We teach bell to bell in Advanced Placement classes, so the few minutes lost each day would add up,” Klein said.

She also said if English teachers eventually had to teach an additional class, the extra workload would make it more difficult to give timely and effective feedback to students.

McHugh, meanwhile, said that a secondary benefit to a nine-period day schedule would include additional tutoring opportunities.

If an extra period were added, “I would really like to revamp the tutoring center so it can be used throughout the day by any student,” McHugh said.