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On Monday, August 27th, students dug into a new school year at Avonworth High School with varying attitudes. From excitedly to begrudgingly, students filed in to the cafeteria to await the first bell– which led to L.E.A.D. time, a new concept for staff and students alike. The majority opinion seemed to favor the changes brought on us — but there was some disagreement.
Students remained mostly positive, such as freshman Anna Libbon saying that the new L.E.A.D time was “just like a study hall”. Also, students enjoyed the ability to catch up on homework and missed work. Additionally, students appreciate the opportunity to go to things like the Lopes Lounge without missing class. Freshman Olivia Holloway said, ¨Some students go to the library, while others go to their lockers to organize or get things. It’s pretty much a free period to do whatever you want to do.¨
Another new change that students experienced is the return of the bells. By nonexistent demand, the bells were removed from high school hallways this past school year. But, this time by popular demand that also matches the needs of the administration, the bells once again rang through the halls. Students like the fact that the teachers no longer decide when class ends — the bells do. “I love when the bell rings because it makes me feel like a class is over and i’m about to start a new beginning and it’s so nice” said Libbon.
Subsequently, students got to experience a new schedule this year, called MODs. 80 minute “double mods” have replaced the typical 40-minute class frame students are used to. Another major difference is the frequency of the class. Our 80 minute classes only meet every other day. “I like it because if I forget to do my homework tonight, I have the next night to do it before I turn it in., ” said Holloway. “It gives me more time to go over my work and make sure it’s correct before I turn it in for a final grade.” Double MODS periods, which before 2018-2019 were exclusive to Science classes, give students the ability to ask more questions, therefore giving them a better understanding of the material being taught. These are also beneficial to teachers, as they allow for more things to be done, therefore allowing them to move at a faster pace.
Lastly, students have “open mods”. Basically, if an upperclassman has enough credits this year they can take an open mod to have more freetime in school. Students love the open mods. Since we don’t have study hall this year, it gives them time to get work done and talk to teachers about questions they may have.
Unlike the majority of the student body, a few individuals did not ‘dig’ the changes to this school year. Most students enjoyed L.E.A.D. time, but if the views were not positive, they were neutral at worse, unlike the MOD schedule. While some students enjoyed the MOD schedule for the longer class period, other disliked it for the same reason. Libbon said, “I hate it. It’s so boring. I sat in math for 80 minutes this morning. I just sat there. I feel like I’m not paying attention.”
The opinions on Open MODs were predominantly neutral if not positive. A few students believe that an Open MOD is too much time or they were unaware of what they were. “It’s like two periods of a study hall, That’s too much time,” remarked freshman Hannah Palmer. Others preferred the idea of a study hall instead. Freshman Jada Guiste commented, “It should be available in 40 minute periods only.” This year the bells mark the end of all MODs.
A substantial amount of students enjoyed the bells returning. On the other hand, a couple of students were not completely digging the idea. “I really don’t like the bells this year, because you get done early and you have to wait,” expressed Guiste.
As the second week of school is coming to an end, the opinions on MODs, open MODS, the bell, and L.E.A.D. time varied from positive to negative. For the most part, Avonworth High School students ¨dig¨ the changes made to improve this school year.
Reporting and Writing by: Ella Galbraith, Olivia Holloway, Anna Libbon, Corin Rocky, and Caroline Sanfilippo
