School Schedule Changes

Silenceof the bells?

Liberty North made some big schedule changes this year, such as silent bells, early out Wednesdays, and Flex hour.

written by: Kate DeGarmo and Ava Henry

There were many schedule changes this year, and Flex was probably the best one. Yes, the hours are shorter to accommodate, but having an hour to relax, study, or even go home if you are an upperclassman is great for our focus. If we forget something at home, we can go home to get what was left in case our parents are unavailable; some people use it as a free period as well. The upperclassmen who leave during eighth-hour flex every day also help with the traffic at the end of the day. The people with first-hour flex can stay home until second hour which helps with morning traffic. It also gives you more time to focus on schoolwork if you need it. It is especially good if you have afterschool activities, like a job or extracurriculars. It gives you more time to be present when you get home at night. Flex also has spaces for you to socialize with your friends when you have schoolwork done. I really like that it can be whatever you need it to be. It is very versatile. It is also very nice that we have an hour early release on Wednesdays. It is really helpful for out of school activities because we can go to work or practice sooner.

photo by: Brieanna Green photo by: Brieanna Green

Personally, I have mixed feelings about the new schedule changes at Liberty North this year. For one, I am not a fan of the new bells. I do not dislike it as much as I did at the start of the year, but I still think as a whole, Liberty North functioned better with the old system. Even without dealing with the “the bell doesn’t dismiss you, I do” teachers who will continue to keep students as long as they like, forgetful teachers or individual students who don’t watch the clock are at risk without the loud reminder. The old bells were also a big help in passing periods, providing a nice warning that half of the time was over. Another big problem I have with the changes is the new lunches. They have all seemed overcrowded this year, and instead of providing a solution to the packed lunch lines, the new schedule only makes things worse. Lunches are shorter without designated passing periods, so some students have been forced to spend a majority of lunch standing in line for food, as well as being subjected to crowded halls on the way back to class.