New schedule not exactly perfect

Some PHS students like early Friday dismissal but not the earlier start of the day … and the end-of-semester crunch

Students+can+make+appointments+to+change+their+second+semester+schedule+starting+Dec.+1.

Sierra Sanders

Students can make appointments to change their second semester schedule starting Dec. 1.

Students have spent almost a full semester with the new schedule now and have mixed feelings about all of the components.

For seniors who have been used to the same schedule for the past three years, the new one has caused some issues.

“I hate the new schedule; I had a real nice routine of waking up at about 7:55 (when school starts now),” senior Cole Davis said. “Four months in [and] I am still confused by the changing schedule for different days.”

Although the schedule takes some getting used to, it still has its benefits that students are able to recognize. Finals before Christmas break? For some, it’s great.

Four months in [and] I am still confused by the changing schedule for different days.

— Cole Davis, PHS senior

“I do love that idea because then we get it out of the way and don’t have to come back for a week of doing the same classes and not remembering what we were taught before,” Davis said.

Sophomore Maggie Cappiello also has similar feelings – looking forward to this change.

“I had a lot of homework last winter break because finals were after,” Cappiello said. “And even though it’s only like two weeks, you have a lot of time to forget what you learned and it makes things more stressful.”

Finals before break are a new change students look forward to, teachers and students seem to be struggling with how much shorter the semester is.

“I think we started out at somewhat of a slow pace at the beginning of the semester and now a couple of my teachers have realized that they don’t have the time to cover everything we do so we’re either packing it all in or skipping ahead,” Cappiello said. “We’re going faster and making everything stressful.”

Like all things, everyone has a different viewpoint on the schedule, but students are able to see clear pros and cons.

Most students seem happy about finals occuring the days before the 11-day break, but other parts of the schedule might not thrill everyone so much.

The new schedule will continue next semester and students can now try to move around their class schedule before the start of the semester.

“Mr. [Trevor] Lee and I decided that [students] could come in and request an appointment starting Dec. 1 if they’d like to change their schedules, but if we can change their schedules or not is a harder question,” guidance counselor Mrs. Kara Miller said. “Because we have so few spots available, that movement isn’t going very well for kids, but we can certainly try.”

Students can still follow the usual procedure once the semester starts of trying a class. If it doesn’t work for them, they can request a schedule change within the first week of the semester.

Schedule changes will be difficult, so students should prepare to be flexible and not get too attached to the idea of a perfect schedule change.