The new bell schedule proposals, including four-block week proposals, continue to incite debate between Paly students and staff members.

Students voiced their opinions at lunch meetings hosted by Stressed Out Students Committee member Susan Shultz, the school’s head guidance counselor, and director of student activities Allison Davies-Mullins and various teachers’ opinions on Feb. 20, 2008 and Mar. 7, 2008.

Some of the variables featured in the new schedule proposals include a number of block days, a blocked and unblocked seventh period, and later finishes. All the proposals were manufactured by student and staff members of the SOS committee.

During the lunches hosted for discussing these proposals, Mullins and Shultz first reported that staff members had strong misgivings about the effectiveness a four-block day schedule.

“So far, schedule 3 and 4 [with four block days] do not seem to be the favorable ones,” Shultz said.

The staff believed that further scientific evidence was necessary to consider implementing a four-block week schedule, according to Mullins.

“Some outspoken teachers do not care about non-scientific research,” Mullins said. “So far, we have positive anecdotal evidence from students from other schools.”

Staff members also requested a staff development day—dedicated to training—in the event that the four-day block schedule is applied.

“The staff also feels like they would need a staff development day to learn how to run these four day block periods,” Shultz said.

Some students think that having seven-period days will be overwhelming.

“Having seven periods in one day is way too much,” junior Jess Brooks said.

Many students endorsed the four-day block schedule because they think that having different periods each day would help them decide their priorities when it comes to doing homework and studying for tests.

“I’d probably go with Schedule 4 because the 7th period is blocked,” junior Alice Chernikoff said. “I like the fact that you can manage your time to decide.”

However, several staff members remain skeptical about students’ notion that four-block day periods will allow students to have more time to finish homework.

“Students think that, given a four block day, they will have less homework,” Spanish teacher Kevin Duffy said. “However, they don’t realize that teachers could double the amount of homework, as they will have twice the amount of time to do it.”

According to the student attendees of the student lunch meeting, 50 minutes of instruction is often not enough to cover all the material.

“Usually in math, we spend most of the time correcting homework and going over tests before we actually learn anything,” junior Emma Garst said.

Sophomore Olivia Diamond, a member of the SOS Committee, hopes that a four-block day will encourage teachers to implement more interesting lesson plans to engage their students during class time.

“Hopefully this [the four block days] will be an incentive for teachers to think of more interesting lesson plans for their students,” Diamond said.

Brooks agreed that teachers seem more passionate and careful about their lessons during 90 minute periods.

“Teachers seem more enthusiastic during 90 minute periods because they have time to do just other than lecturing,” Brooks said. “During 50 minute periods, they are rushed.”

At the meeting, Mullins also mentioned other alternatives that different schools have adopted.

“I know that Saratoga [High School] has a seventh and eighth period, which is used for band and concert choir,” she said. “Some of the kids there had a really hard time choosing between sports and music.”

According to Shultz, the staff will decide the future of the students’ schedules.