Frequent unique schedules continue to confuse Carlmont students throughout the first semester, as 13 out of 14 completed school weeks have had irregular schedules.
Altered flex periods, assemblies, minimum days, and off days have become commonplace to start the school year and add another layer of disruption into students’ lives.
“The adjustment to high school is tough as it is; it doesn’t help to have to worry about the schedule every week,” said freshman Caden Stinson.
Students must prepare to manage a new schedule most weeks, adding to the stress of grades, home life, and extracurriculars. Irregularity is not beneficial to students, as consistent learning environments and schedules lead to more productivity, according to researchers at Old Dominion University.
“It’s irritating that we’re almost halfway through November, and we’ve had only one normal week,” said sophomore soccer player Nico Golomb.
While many students feel frustrated about the lack of continuity, the scheduling committee has their reasons why it has been like this.
“The primary driver of the special schedules this fall has been the district-mandated three minimum days,” said Carlmont Principal Gay Buckland-Murray, a scheduling committee member.
According to Buckland-Murray, special schedules have been a constant factor at Carlmont since the school transitioned back to in-person learning in 2021. However, students plan their out-of-school lives around the elusive regular schedule and must rearrange their extracurriculars to fit the week’s schedule.
“My practices are planned around the regular schedule, so sometimes things have to be moved around, which can be frustrating,” Golomb said.
Other athletes have also experienced similar issues.
“Our baseball lifts have been canceled or switched around several times because of the scheduling,” said sophomore Levi Wellman.
The school district aims to reduce schedule confusion through “lots of communication,” according to Buckland-Murray. However, this communication hasn’t stopped some students, such as sophomore Gio Benitez, from going to the wrong class or thinking school was over.
“I started walking down the hill towards home after fifth period, and I was halfway down until I realized that I still had to go to sixth,” Benitez said.
As school approaches winter break, only two of the six remaining weeks will have the standard schedule, totaling three regular weeks for the entire semester.
This trend also continues into the second semester, with May being the only month with more than one regular week.
“Hopefully, student feedback encourages them to reconsider the schedules in the future,” Golomb said.
