The Greeley West High school staff received word there would be a new schedule change for next year, highlighting changes specifically to help freshmen transition into high school.
This new schedule includes a lunch hour that only has freshmen in it while the sophomores, juniors and seniors will be combined when it’s their time to go. This also includes a new advisory hour which will be a homeroom type class for 40 minutes every day except Monday.
This new change has made some new questions arise for incoming sophomores. Questions include, “Will the sophomores be able to leave during lunch or will that stay the same as it is?” “What will happen to morning off periods?” and “How does this change for everyone else?”
For the mainly freshman teachers, this is a big shift but they are hopeful. Mr. Nicholas Jacoby, a social studies teacher at West said, “I think it overall will be a positive because it can bring the class of 2029 together, they can bond better and connect. But, I’m worried it will take away some of the mentorship from the older kids.”
Jacoby went on to say, “I also worry because Link Crew is getting a lot of pressure to be those people correcting the freshman and the fear is that it will become more of a burden instead of a good thing.”
West’s current freshman also had an interesting take on this new change from how they have it this year. Freshman and Pom Hailey Hott said, “We did not have this schedule and for me I think having an advisory helps people to get to know each other and become more comfortable faster, which I felt we lacked this year.”
She went on to say, ‘However, isolation and the freshman only lunch seems odd to me just because it could make the freshman feel like they’re getting babied which should never be the intention. The lunch period could have a good impact on those trying to make new friends so everyone having the grade level in common definitely could help to break the ice.”
A lot of the current freshman teachers have agreed that instead of forcing ninth grade to look more like middle school, the district needs to make eighth grade look more like high school to better smooth out and prepare the incoming freshman for the changes. The hope is this schedule starts the process.
