After a couple months into this school year, which has thus far been characterized by an array of modifications from previous years, students have finally spent enough time with the new changes to share their thoughts on the novel system. Many students have some mixed emotions about whether or not they like these additions. While some students may become quickly accustomed to changes, others may have trouble adapting.

The most groundbreaking modification to the 2023-2024 school year is that the school day has been extended by 20 minutes, which was placed into Personal Learning Time (PLT). A large number of students were very upset, because this change would lead to more time being taken out of their day. Also, because there have been 10 minutes added to the beginning and end of the day, students have to wake up earlier to arrive at school on time. Those who often had plans or commitments that were directly after school ended are now unable to attend or be on time to those plans because they have to stay at school for a longer amount of time. However, there are also a number of benefits that have come from extending school hours. For example, there is more time in the school day and in PLT for students to work on homework, as well as get help from their peers or teachers. Another benefit to a longer PLT is that when a group or class has to meet, they can now have more time to do so without potentially staying after school. For instance, students in Print Media Workshop often have to talk about group matters outside of class, so a longer PLT gives them more time. 

“The later start time has affected me because my bus is often late. This means that I am even later to school, causing me to miss a lot of work,” senior Zach Wynn said.

In addition to the 20 minute extension, PLT has seen a number of other changes. New to this year is Keystone remediation, which is used to help students who did not do well on their Keystones receive a better score upon retaking the test. Remediation takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during PLT. The benefit to this is that students will likely be able to score highly when they retake their Keystone test. Not only does this help students but it is also advantageous to the entire school since higher test scores tend to reflect a higher quality of education. Although, one drawback to remediation is that it results in less time for clubs to take place. Many students are very involved and take pride in their work with school clubs. Some students are members of multiple clubs, and because they do not have as many days to take place, students have to choose between which clubs they will attend. However, teachers have worked on a solution to this dilemma. For example, Dr. Brian Wargo, who sponsors many clubs, has decided to split one day of PLT into multiple club meetings, giving each club about 10 to 15 minutes each day. While this allows students to attend more of Wargo’s clubs, it still does not allow them to attend clubs sponsored by other teachers. Also, this shortens the time each club has to meet, which can be extremely detrimental to the progression of each program. 

“I’m disappointed by the lack of club meetings this year, especially as a member whose clubs overlap with other club days. I don’t think it is fair whatsoever, and I feel as if 40 minutes a week does not give a lot of time to get enough done,” senior Vera Armenio, who is president of the book club and art club, and vice president of math club, said.

Another large change to this year’s school schedule is the implementation of new classes and the hiring of new staff. Some new classes seen this year are Personal Finance and Economics and the new College in High School (CHS) classes . Personal Finance is a new class that seniors are required to take. This class, taught by a new teacher, Ms. Michelle Keith, is set to prepare students for financial life beyond high school. CHS classes are college level courses offered through the University of Pittsburgh that are meant as a better alternative to replace Advanced Placement (AP) classes. With time to experience these new classes and new teachers, many students have shared their enjoyment with these changes.

“As someone who is currently taking [Personal Finance], I find it beneficial for when I am out of high school. Ms. Keith is a wonderful teacher and is full of joy every time I see her. Our new assistant principal, Mr. Turpin, is also a very nice guy… He makes small talk with me and is overall very nice in my opinion. I think CHS prepares you for college more than AP does,” senior Kayden Curcio said.

Though these changes have brought uncertainty to some of the staff and students, these additions were put into place for the benefit of the district. As more time passes, people are adapting to the changes more and more.