As some students may remember, before this year’s system of Universal Lunch (UL), last year we had a staggered lunch schedule: students would eat in the third, fourth, and fifth periods. IHS changed this for a few reasons, including to comply with New York standards and allow students to eat with friends. When the change was being made, an important question came up: should the new schedule add an extra class slot (eight periods + UL) or remove a class slot (seven periods + UL)? Since students wouldn’t be able to take classes during what could be their lunch anymore, they may have to drop certain courses. IHS chose to go with seven periods and a universal lunch, increasing class times by a few minutes each by taking time out of lunch. This was the wrong choice. An extra period could be added to the IHS schedule and help support students’ learning without decreasing daily class time by a noticeable amount.
If we added a period to the end of the school day, IHS would have eight periods beginning at 9:00 am and ending around 4:00 pm, as it is now. Zero period would still be offered. Moreover, class periods could be shortened to forty minutes to make up for the change. Combined with a forty-minute lunch and five minutes in between periods, that is a six-hour and forty-minute school day—exactly the length it is now. The last minutes of class are often spent preparing for it to end anyway. Because of this, learning time would remain the same.
Having an extra period comes with many benefits: the most significant being that many fewer students would have to take a zero-period class. Since one of the main purposes of a 9:00 am start time is to support students’ sleep, this would have a significant effect on the mental health of many students. Those who still choose to take zero-period classes would have a study hall in their day or a period slot for a fun elective class. IHS offers many exciting and unique courses that many other schools don’t. An extra period would give more students a chance to take advantage of this school’s many opportunities and find their passion. Finally, students who will fill up all of the course slots with AP and Honors could take advantage of Universal Lunch to still have time with their friends at school. IHS administrators should note the many benefits of having more class periods and consider implementing them in the future.