This year, Friends Select’s middle and upper school crafted a new schedule to fix problems that have occurred in the past, such as student-athletes missing the same class every week, classes meeting not often enough in a week, and very long class periods. The new schedule has changed in several ways, including more classes each day, shorter passing times, and earlier start times. In an optional anonymous survey sent out to the Upper School a month ago, 50 students chose to give various opinions about the new schedule reflecting on its successes and challenges.
What students miss about last year’s schedule:
Among the 42 students who attended upper school last year, 76% highlighted the 10-minute passing time as a strength of last year’s schedule, allowing for a more leisurely transition between classes. 56% of the students emphasized productive office hours and a longer lunch block. In addition, 48% of the students preferred the 8:15 a.m. starting time.
What students like about this year’s schedule:
Fewer students expressed their appreciation of the new schedule. Still, the changes related to classes are more welcomed by students: 56% of the students like the shorter class time, 46% of students like the earlier lunch, and 40% of the students like having two blocks in the afternoon. Some students also like the 8-day schedule because student-athletes won’t risk missing the same class every week.
Challenges with the new schedule:
However, not all aspects of the new schedule have been embraced. 84% of the students said that the worst part of this year’s schedule is the 5-minute passing time, while 0% of students like the shorter passing time. Several students expressed their eagerness to have the 10-minute passing time back.
Although students like earlier lunch, they see the shorter lunch block as an annoyance and 66% expressed concern about it. In addition, 54% of the students also find it challenging to have no office hours to meet with teachers and catch up on work, with the shorter passing time making it even harder to meet with teachers. According to Clara Gluzdov ‘28, adding a few minutes to passing time will help students make it to class on time, and bringing back office hours would be beneficial for students who don’t have time to meet with teachers during lunch due to clubs.
Some students also said that they want longer class periods for certain classes. “There isn’t really enough time to get through topics in most classes, especially labs.” Robbie Becker ‘26 said.
The 8-day rotation, while praised by some, also has been criticized for being confusing and hard to follow. Some students also complain about the homework load since there are more classes per week. “The 8-day rotation makes keeping track of what classes I have and what I need to prepare for the next day a lot harder.” Abraham Planet ‘28 said.
In general, the new schedule is more disliked than favored. When making a significant change to the schedule, it’s important to find a middle ground, and as students suggested in the survey, they also want their voices to be heard.
Students also have some suggestions about improving the new schedule. Lila Miliken ‘25 said she wants the schedule to go back to a 5-day rotation, “so that I can schedule things in advance around my frees, making it easier to be ‘in the city of the city.’”
