Students Prepare to Shift Back to a Rotating Schedule
Photo by Owen Whelan
Heading into Fall of 2022, Nanuet Senior High School will return to its pre-Covid rotating schedule, which features an eight-period rotation with a common lunch period shared by all students.
Since September of 2020, Nanuet hasn’t had a rotating schedule. Due to Covid and social distancing, the high school had to pivot back to its original 42-minute non-rotating schedule of the past. Now that schooling is returning to normal, the class of 2023, who are almost at the end of their school careers, are the only students in the building who have experienced the rotating schedule as Nanuet enters its 2022-2023 year.
The rotating schedule allows for longer class periods since two classes drop each day for each student. Junior Ariana Diaz said she and some of her classmates are excited to bring back this change.
“I’m very glad we get the block schedule back because we will have more time in class and more time out of class,” she said. “I really liked switching the times I had class so I could manage my homework better.”
The block schedule also allows her to have more time, whether that be for clubs, activities, or volunteer opportunities, according to Diaz.
The current schedule, with three lunches, doesn’t allow for students to communicate and collaborate on a level that the “common” lunch does.
Although both the block lunch and current separate-lunch periods are the same amount of time, the block lunch creates an ideal time for clubs, extra-helps, office hours, and to meet with others, from all classes and grades, to converse and eat together.
However, the block lunch was also more crowded, with every student in the school being released from class at the same time.
Junior Lauren Tolo said she remembers some of the drawbacks the block schedule creates.
“I’m not excited for the block schedule,” she said. “Returning to the old schedule means longer class time.”
Classes more than 50 minutes in length can take a toll on some students, especially transitioning from 42-minute periods and virtual learning. While more learning can expand on valuable instructional time, which is crucial for AP courses and finals prep, some do not appreciate the longer class periods.
Still, others see it as a welcome improvement. A rotating schedule allows more time for students to prepare things such as presentations and homework, with classes dropping on a consistent basis. Junior Gabby Santos said she is looking forward to this.
“I’m excited for the block schedule because I won’t have the same classes everyday,” she said. “It gets very boring when you have to do the same things every day.”
Excited or otherwise, it’s best to know that the block schedule is coming in fast, and it’s time for Nanuet students– and their time blocks –to get moving.