Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Staff Writer
With every new school year, comes new changes. Some changes are well received, while others receive backlash from the students. In the case of the 2023-2024 school year, one of the biggest changes made at Trumbull High was the institution of a new schedule.
Previously, the school ran on an eight period schedule. The classes were about 48 minutes long, and for most people their classes were the exact same every day. In an attempt to spice things up, Trumbull High introduced a modified block schedule for 2023-2024. It allows students to take extra classes over the school year, and mixes things up by dropping two periods every day.
Now, every schedule does have some flaws. For starters, many students have complained about the longer periods. In order to only have 6 periods in a day, classes were shifted to almost an hour long. It can also be rough for teachers who need to catch their classes up on work, then are unable to see them on a particular day.
“The new schedule is stupid”, according to sophomore Isaac Gramse. “It is confusing as heck and classes are longer for no reason”.
Clearly, some students have had a rough time adjusting to the new system. However, most students have actually been happy with how the new schedule has impacted their academics (especially their homework). Students can receive extra days for homework they would have previously had to do in a day.
In addition, it helps with having enough time to do makeup work as well as extending timetables for important projects. Having this extra time to not only do work, but plan your week around the schedule has been significantly helpful. It has made most students less stressed over their school work, and the extra 12 minutes of class they had to sacrifice for it have proven worth it in the end.
“I like it because it breaks from the mold of us having the exact same schedule every day”, said senior Jacob Chaffee. “It shakes it up a bit”.
With a different schedule every day, students can receive a different, more unique learning experience every day. Students do not just get stuck in the same old boring routine of going to the same classes every day. It keeps them more alert, attentive, and most importantly, organized.
This schedule places more responsibility on students and teachers alike to keep track of their work and their classes. Some people believe that the new schedule is over-working our students. They believe the school is placing too much responsibility on them to keep track of their classes when they already had to worry about enough.
However, 7 out of 10 students I surveyed said the new schedule may be a big adjustment, but it has overall been worth it.
“It’s been a lot to get used to and has been a big adjustment,” says student Eli Clark, “but overall it has been well worth it so far”.
The reality is, that students need to learn this type of responsibility in high school to prepare for the real world. The school needs to maintain a good balance of reducing the stress of students, while also teaching them responsibility and organization.
While this schedule is not perfect (especially for teachers), it maintains this balance relatively well. Whatever you believe, we are only one quarter into the school year. Thoughts around the schedule can change quickly, and some students who may not have liked the schedule at first may eventually become accustomed to it.