Principal James Antonelli’s proposed schedule change will give students more time to get to their classes and offer a ten minute break period after first block. This implementation will extend the school day by ten minutes. Antonelli hopes this proposal will serve as an aid to de-stress students at Westford Academy.

Students currently have four minutes to get from class to class. However, it can be difficult to arrive to every class on time, and this new schedule would give students an extra minute to go from one class to another. The extra time will also benefit students because they will have enough time to reach their destinations at ease.

For many students, it is frustrating to walk behind those who take their time in the halls. With an added minute, WA students will no longer have to fear that a slow walker will make or break whether or not they get to class on time.

Furthermore, this added time can eliminate the likelihood of a tardy penalty. Currently, if a student receives a certain amount of tardies, they will be given an office detention. No student wants to face this consequence, so by having more time to get from one class to another, students won’t have to fear being late.

The break after second block will give students an opportunity to accomplish tasks that they may not have had the chance to do before. This could include grabbing a quick breakfast in the cafeteria, printing an essay, talking to a teacher, or simply chatting with a friend in the hallway. With our current schedule, students have no time for inconveniences or mistakes. If a printer breaks, or they forget to write down an assignment, students have very little time during the school day to remedy those issues. An extra ten minutes during the day would make a big difference.

Even though the school day would have to be extended by ten-minutes, this would not be a major obstacle.  Most Westford Schools, aside from the middle schools, don’t dismiss until about 2:30 in the afternoon or later. Right now, buses don’t leave WA until about two o’clock. If buses left ten minutes later, it would not be necessary to push back dismissal times at other schools.

Stress is a major issue at WA and putting this schedule into place is likely to decrease students’ stress levels. “Time” is a is a small word, but it plays a big part in the life of a WA student. Extra time for students during the day would go a long way to reduce stress. Stress can interfere with a lot of different aspects of a student’s life, and by working to eliminate it, students can push themselves to be the best possible students they can be.