According to Ms. Stephanie Kipp, the staff has approved the implementation of what is called a “block schedule” for the new upcoming school building. This system will be the new setup for the new school’s class schedules for grades 6-12. Compared to the current schedule Holbrook High has now, which consists of 6 rotating classes, each 55 minutes long. As of right now, the idea for this block schedule, is that students will meet with most, if not all, of their classes every other day. But instead of spending only 55 minutes in a given class, a student would spend a whole “block” in a class which is around an hour and 20 mins. Within each day, there will be 4 alternating blocks, which totals to 8 classes. Compared to the 6 classes we have now, this new schedule will allow the staff to introduce new classes. This setup will also alleviate any issues students that run into with not having enough credits to graduate. With the current 6 class schedule, students have to pass every single class in order to graduate. With that being said, there is still discussion and decisions that need to be made in regards to how many credits will be required for graduation. Even though the staff of Holbrook High has collectively decided on this block scheduling, the terms and conditions will still have to go through the teacher’s union for approval, which will not be happening until later on this year. However, this new schedule setup seems to be the future of the new school building. Ms. Kipp has emphasized the benefits of this new schedule. “Essentially, it’s going to allow us to introduce new courses into the schedule. And, it will allow us to spend more time in the class at one given time.” The issue of students not having enough class time to finish certain class work or projects are hoped to be solved with this new scheduling.
The upcoming K-12 school building is an opportunity for a fresh new start, not only for the students and staff, but also a beginning for a new and improved school system.