New Schedule Changes Spark Senior Backlash
By Fiona Burton '23
Last week marked the introduction of a new schedule to the upper school of Greens Farms Academy, a change that was quickly met with widespread protests. The new schedule comes as the number of COVID-19 cases soar across the country, and hospitals reach mass capacity. Following a weekly preview email, sent out to the Upper School on Dec. 6 by Head of Upper School Andrew Jones, several students, mostly members of the senior class, responded with their concerns about the new schedule, complaining about the limited time for lunch, shortened breaks between classes, and the decline of senior privileges.
The school administration met in June, July, and August to discuss the plans for the school year, including the schedule. The school year started off with a different schedule than last year, which prioritized long transition times as well as longer class times to reduce the risk of exposure for students and faculty. This schedule heavily relied on warmer weather to facilitate the longer transition times, as spending time outdoors significantly reduces the spread of COVID-19. Fortunately (and unfortunately for the health of our planet), September of 2020 was the warmest September on record, so the tents outside the school were utilized as much as possible. October and November were also incredibly warm months, and spending time outdoors became crucial as the numbers of infections both nationwide and in Connecticut increased dramatically. As the weather became colder before Thanksgiving break, students and teachers found themselves spending more time indoors. The increased number of people indoors worried administrators, as it put members of the community at risk of contracting the coronavirus, especially while not wearing masks for lunch. That, along with the growing hospitalization rate in the state and country, prompted the need for a schedule modification.
“Basically, what we realized was that to have everybody in the Upper School free at the same time with nobody outside is no fun for anybody,” Jones said. “And there’s just no way for us to make that […] a good experience. Or a safe experience, frankly.”
The newest schedule therefore shortened lunch and cut down on the longer breaks that the previous schedule had included. With fewer breaks, the Upper School administration decided to extend the privilege of leaving school during a free period to all grades (with the exception of 9th not being permitted to arrive at 9:45). With this decision, the goal was to ensure that students could still concentrate during their classes even with shorter transitions/breaks.
“If we have to reduce a lot of freedom and flexibility with respect to time here, maybe we can increase some freedom and flexibility with respect to time not here, and so that’s where the idea came from of allowing sophomores to come in a little late, sign out early, ninth graders to sign out early,” Jones said.
Despite these beneficial changes to the schedule, many students are still concerned about the shorter lunch periods and absence of breaks.
“Since the start of the new schedule I see seniors leaving for lunch, coming back, stuffing their faces with food and showing up to class ten minutes late,” senior Sebastian Bodian stated. “It obviously isn't everyone, but it's beginning to be a common trend.” For many students, the ability to leave school during a free period has created a time to relax, recharge, and prepare for the next class. It is also an immense privilege that barely anyone across the country has right now. However, some students do not have their close friends in their classes, and, therefore, are not able to spend time with them during free periods off campus. This is particularly difficult for the senior class as this is their final year at GFA.
Bodian said that, because of the absence of breaks/transitions between classes, there are “more missed opportunities” for the senior class. “I remember a lot of my free time with my friends over the years has come from hanging out in the common room, annex and library room because those are where a lot of my memories are at GFA.”
To compensate for this lack of free time, seniors are now allowed to sign out during advisory to go off campus. This time is important for seniors who, on top of all of the stress that is 2020, are going through the college application process. Bodian also emphasized the importance of student-teacher communication.
“Don't get me wrong, GFA is doing a lot to keep us in school right now, and we should all be grateful, but communication between faculty and upper heads needs to be better, at least in the senior grade,” he said. “To improve, I believe just simple communication via emails or just more class meetings (online) during the multiple advisory periods we now have could work.”
Communication has proved to be a key part of handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Students speaking up about their concerns, such as the instance of the weekly preview email, is important for the administration, as they strive to do what works best for the students while keeping the school healthy and safe.
“If there are ways for us to make some adjustments to make it more pleasant, I’m all for that.” Jones said.
Student-teacher communication is crucial, and anyone who has any concerns about the schedule should reach out to a member of the Upper School administration.
“In regards to the schedule, and life in general, I would suggest that people come up with solutions and bring them to those who can fix the problem when they feel that something is wrong,” said freshman Liam Glynn. “It was good to see people speaking up for themselves and their classmates in regards to the schedule, but it is my opinion that it could have been done on a better platform in a better way. People are doing the best they can to accommodate not only our wants and needs, but also the coronavirus, so just be thankful we're in school at all.”
Unfortunately, the school has been forced to make decisions, and schedules for that matter, much faster than they would have in normal circumstances.
“This is a change we had to make to keep the school safe,” Jones said. “It’s not one we would have made just for fun, so it is what it has to be.”
