Schedule Changes Come to LCHS

Sarah Nissel and Lindsay Wiant
September 9, 2019

The fourth time is a charm.

For the fourth consecutive year, LCHS has a new bell schedule. And, most agree this schedule is the best one.

“I like the eight-period schedule better because I can have more electives,”Joe Derico, junior, said.

“I prefer the eight-period schedule,” Taylor Montgomery, senior, said.

“Moving to an eight-period schedule gives students the opportunity to take more classes and for students in CTE classes to finish their program,”Mrs. Dodi Slaughter, counselor, said.

“Going back to an eight-period schedule gives everyone more opportunities to learn more in all of their classes and take these skills with them when they graduate high school,” Mr. John Whiston, principal, said.

Classes in the seven-period schedule were 55-minutes long and in the eight-period schedule classes are 45-minutes long. Most students say that they prefer the eight-period schedule because they have the opportunity to take more electives and the classes are shorter.

Most students have mixed opinions about the two block days.

Some students like it, while others dislike the block.

“I don’t really like the block days because I think that if you do a block schedule, it needs to be every day instead of just two days,” Jacob Herrod, senior, said.

“I like having block schedule because two days a week I don’t have as many classes,” Madisyn Montgomery, sophomore, said.

“I do not like block schedule because I don’t like sitting in class for an hour and a half; it’s too much,” Terrlen Rohrbough, junior, said.

Block classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays started as a result of the need to have longer class periods for college classes, science labs and project-based learning opportunities in an extended class period.

Many college classes needed longer periods for tests and assignments, while science teachers needed extended time for labs and experiments. The 45-minute class period did not provide ample time for these activities. However, administrators and teachers did not want to go to a straight block schedule, so the alternating days is a compromise between the two schedules.