McIntosh has gone through some pretty major changes for the 2019-2020 school year. The school has gone from six periods to seven periods and the whole layout of the building has changed. There are also shorter class periods. Along with these changes comes the many opinions of the students here at McIntosh. Some love the new schedule, some hate it, and some remain neutral. Some students are saying the day feels long and that there isn’t enough class time to get things done. Students believe the new layout of the building is confusing.

Junior Maria Laura Rodrigez said, “I hate it. There’s not enough time to do our work.”

“I absolutely hate the seven-period day and the layout,” said sophomore Nicole Benavent-Rivera. “It takes me a lot longer to get to my class and because of the seven periods, I don’t have as much time. Not only that, but my favorite classes of the day are cut short.”

Some students do like the seven-period day. Students enjoy the change and the fact that we now have the opportunity to get more credits and take more classes that, without seven periods, wouldn’t have fit into our schedule.

Sophomore Kylee Stevens said, “It makes the day feel less long, and the teachers give less work per class.”

There are even a few freshmen that were willing to share their thoughts on the seven-period schedule.

Freshman Alejandro Reyes “really like[s]” the seven periods.” He said, “it feels like we get out of class early.”

Another freshman Caleb Ladimer disagrees and “wish[es] classes were longer.”

Emily Hodge, McIntosh’s librarian hasn’t been affected much at all by the new schedule. Hodge has been observing and thinks, “[the new schedule] seems to be going smoothly for teachers and for students.” With that said, she also thinks that “some teachers teaching six out of seven classes are overwhelmed by the additional class. This is probably because of the extra grading as well as adjusting to the stamina needed to teach that extra class.” Hodge says that the worry with the seven-period schedule was that “students would take an additional AP or other challenging class rather than an elective based on their interests. I’m not sure if that’s the case or not.”

Science teacher Samantha Krage says that her schedule has faced a “significant change.” While Krage still teaches the same number of students, “the time in each class has changed. This causes lessons to be shortened or rearranged.” However, teachers got a planning period where they meet with other teachers of their subject each day. “It has been nice to meet with other teachers to share ideas,” said Krage. When asked how she thinks the change has affected students, Krage , “I think students have struggled this year with the change of subjects.” She continues to say that     “I also think students need to work on prioritizing their schedules.” Krage says that the new schedule is a challenge for students, but a challenge that students can overcome. “If students use time in school wisely, they will likely be able to get some of their work done before they even get home.”