Hunter Munday

The sign at the beginning of the 5-6 hallway shows whether it’s an A or B day.

This year, the schedules have been a little different than last year. Some items have been added to the schedule, with more emphasis on A and B days. 

“One major reason for the schedule changes is for arts block classes. They were originally only for one quarter of the year. We wanted kids to get an extended time period that lasted half of the year instead of only a small portion of the year,” Mr. Jeff Griffith, middle school principal, stated. This means that students only got one arts block for one nine-week period. Now, students will have two arts blocks every other day for half of a year. 

Some arts blocks include Spanish, gym, art, music, and tech ed. Some students may prefer one of these arts blocks over another, so they may enjoy it more if they have that arts block for an extended period, rather than having it consecutively for only one quarter of the school year.

Eighth grade students were also introduced to an Astronomy class with Mr. Mathew Brandt. 

“One thing we noticed last year is that eighth graders didn’t have an astronomy class with anyone. So this year, we decided that eighth graders would have astronomy every other day during fifth period for one quarter of the school year. Mr. Brandt was excited to do it and worked hard all summer to set up an astronomy class,” Griffith said. Astronomy is a big part of the curriculum for the eighth grade PSSA testing. Mr. Brandt volunteered to teach the Astronomy class. 

There were some stated and recognized challenges to making changes. 

“The biggest challenge was making sure that every student knew where to go,” Griffith stated. There is a sign in the lobby by the ramp that states whether it is an A day or a B day, so if you are unsure, check there. 

Some students were also enrolled in advanced academic support classes, such as tech ed and art. They were chosen to take part in an advanced class that was added to their schedule.