When students returned to campus this fall, they were met with a brand new Upper School schedule, one that shortens class periods and increases the frequency of classes, increases the number of transitions during the day, shifts advisory, and aligns middle and upper school time tables for the first time. While administrators say the new schedule addresses long-standing concerns, both students and faculty are still adjusting to this change.
According to Ms. Krista Falcone, Assistant Director of the Upper School, Academic Dean, Upper School English teacher, and one of the new schedules’ architects, the goal wasn’t perfection, but improvement. “Nobody’s going to get everything they want,” she said. “Everybody’s going to be a little bit unhappy about some element of it, but we are going to hopefully fix some of the things that people felt were not working with the last schedule.”
The previous schedule alternated between 60 and 90 minute blocks and operated on a A/B week rotation, something that teachers and students consistently found confusing and sometimes exhausting. “Both students and teachers felt that, at times, those [long periods] were too long,” Ms. Falcone said “especially for our younger students.” Having 50 minute class periods that meet more often during the week has been a welcome change for many students. Erin Kennedy ‘27 explained how this new schedule has made her life easier. “I think that some pros are definitely that we get more of our classes and it’s much easier to sixth major. I’m currently sixth majoring and it makes it so much easier to be able to have my different classes without having these long intervals in between or having scheduling issues.”
The A/B rotation also reduced class meetings to just three times a week, forcing some departments to cut back content. With four shorter classes per week, teachers now have more instructional time while students spend less time trying to remain focused in long blocks.
Another major shift involved conference periods. Previously conference periods met five times a week on A weeks and four times a week on B weeks for a short amount of time, but many students found the limited time unhelpful. “They could only really get one thing done,” Ms. Falcone explained. The new schedule lengthens conference periods but holds them less frequently, giving students more flexibility and more meaningful time to meet with teachers. Philippa (Pippa) Whiteley ‘27 said of the new schedule “It’s really nice ’cause I can talk to more teachers, and I can work on group projects if I need to.”
Advisory has moved out of the early morning slot and into the middle of the day, now meeting twice a week instead of three times. “We have better attendance at those events,” Ms. Falcone said. Students are more awake, more engaged, and advisors report actual conversations rather than bleary eyed check-ins.
Some students have found issues with the new placement of advisory. Pippa said “My advisor’s in the library, so I have to go between classes all the way to the library and then back so that’s kind of a hassle.” In the previous schedule the advisory’s met before class periods began, giving students more time for transitions.
Upper school meetings also changed, and many students have already noticed a difference. “It really felt very business-like before,” Ms. Falcone said. Now, meetings included student lead features like “60-second news”, demonstrations from teachers, and more time for announcements and presentations. “It actually serves the purpose of helping build community.” Ms. Falcone added.
Although students widely believe lunch got shorter, Ms. Falcone says the opposite is true. “If you look at the minutes for lunch, it is actually longer,” she said. Still the shift away from D-block, a period before lunch that many students had free, makes lunch feel more crowded.
Pippa said “It feels shorter because everybody’s coming in at the same time.”
Erin agreed, stating “ I would say the con is probably the lunch period because it’s so hard to get food and it becomes a lot more difficult for the flow of traffic and whatnot.”
The faculty have felt the adjustment too. Music school faculty, Dr. Jennifer Ashe noted “The lunch situation is strange. We used to be able to count on D-block and lunch block [for music lessons] and now we have these weird gaps in our day.”
The increased number of daily classes, and therefore increased number of transitions, has been one of the biggest challenges for students. Five minute passing periods remain, but they feel tighter than ever.
Pippa noted that there is “A lot more movement.” in the school day than there was before.
Dr. Ashe has also noticed this. As a teacher of both middle and upper school students, all based in the Music School, she has noticed that the middle schoolers struggle to get to the Music school in the five minute passing period. “They maybe don’t walk as fast, their legs are shorter,” she joked. But she also acknowledged the genuine stress that comes with more transitions. “Students were arriving very stressed out… I think there’s just more transitions and that can be stressful.”
For performance groups like chorus and chamber singers, the impact of the new schedule has been significant.
“Basically our rehearsal time was slashed,” Dr. Ashe said. Long blocks that once allowed for sectionals or intensive work periods disappeared. Now, each rehearsal must be tightly structured. “I have to set a clear plan, and stick to it,” she said. But with the new schedule, the Chamber Singers now meet two days in a row, which allows the singers to build momentum.
Additionally, now all of Dr. Ashe’s classes meet in the Music School, while in the previous schedule some of them met in the chorus room in the Upper School Building. Dr. Ashe noted that having all of her classes meeting in the Music School has allowed the students to be more focussed on their music. Dr. Ashe said, “I think there is a sense of like, ‘I’m going to the music school now to make music.’ I think everybody feels a little more serious.”
One of the biggest advantages according to Ms. Falcone, is that upper and middle school classes now begin and end at the same times. That means smoother transitions for crossover teachers and for middle schoolers taking advanced classes.
“It also means that our teachers are going to be able to observe each other cross-division more easily,” Ms. Falcone said. She hopes this alignment will also create more opportunities for collaboration between grades.
Even students who struggled at first say the schedule is slowly becoming more manageable. “Trying to adjust to a new schedule is so hard,” Pippa said. “But people are settling in now.”
Ms. Falcone agrees, and believes that the benefits will become clearer as the year goes on. “Changing is always hard,” she said. “But I think as the next couple of years happen, you’re going to see a lot more crossover…and a stronger sense that we are one school.”