Throughout the week of Nov. 1 to Nov. 5, WA implemented the Challenge Success system to close out the first quarter of the 2021-2022 school year. Challenge Success gave students fifteen minutes of passing time in between our second and third period classes, providing us the opportunity to wind down in the midst of an exam-filled week. While 15 minutes does not sound like a significant amount of time, I for one feel as though this extra time in between classes benefited me. Thus, I believe that this Challenge Success schedule should be implemented as a more common schedule here at WA.

As a sophomore, I have only experienced a limited amount of high school, especially with last year being limited by the pandemic. During my short time at WA, this past week was the busiest school week I have faced so far. There was an assessment in nearly all of my classes, each of which was a determining factor in my final grade for the term. These tests required late nights of studying, a higher level of stress, and overall an extremely busy week. 

Classes were jam-packed with information throughout the week to prepare us for the eventual test at the end of the week. This made for long days, and therefore an overwhelming week. However, the added 15-minute break from 9:36-9:51 helped make his week more manageable.

Rather than immediately jumping from one class to the next like we usually do, being able to take a deep breath and talk with friends provided a little cushion, easing the stresses of the busy week. Yes, this lengthened time in between classes seems insignificant, but it made more of an impact on me than I anticipated.

Providing students with this extended time allowed us to clear our minds, and then head into our next class with a fresh slate, ready to work. As a result of this short break, going into our third period class was more manageable. The brief pause provided an opportunity for us to process what we had already accomplished and set ourselves up for success in our third class. Similar to having a break for lunch during our fourth period class each day, adding this fifteen minute break following our second class would be an effective addition to our schedule.

I truly believe that if WA continues with this aspect of the Challenge Success system going forward, then students will become less stressed, better engaged in classes, and all together happier in school. The fifteen minutes of passing time each day adds up at the end of the week to one hour and fifteen minutes. This gives students a significant amount of time to regain their focus during the school day, allowing us to not only socialize with friends, but alleviate stress from our school work, too.

While I understand that this is time taken away from academics, perhaps placing it into our schedules on a biweekly basis rather than every week would be a fair compromise.

Regardless, I support WA implementing this additional fifteen minutes of passing time in any form possible, whether it is applying this break on a daily basis, making it a biweekly event, or even forming it into a monthly occurrence. Any of these options would be an effective schedule change for the student population. By doing so, students will be provided a helpful break from our morning classes, and have a clear mindset heading into the rest of our day.

The student body would benefit from the addition of this portion of the Challenge Success program here at WA, as this past week showed me that Challenge Success is a true success.