With a new school year comes new school rules. Shocker, right? No. But this year students were introduced to the first new rule as soon as they entered the building on Sept. 4. Instead of filing in the high school from any door, students were led into the auditorium or cafeteria if they arrived at the school prior to 7:30.
While students are rushing to sign up for enrichment with the shorted time before the bell, teachers are appreciating the extra time to themselves in the morning. Baltimore County Teachers school day doesn’t technically start until 7:30, so the change was primarily for them. Now, students are limited to the time they are allowed to annoy their teachers. Although sweaty students are running down the halls in a hurry to complete tasks before 7:45, it is only fair that the teacher’s day doesn’t start until they are getting paid.
The change is dramatic considering students were allowed in the building as early as 7:00 am last year. The procedure last year could be potentially unsafe if students were able to roam the halls with the teacher’s mandatory presence being a half hour later.
As the second bell rings at 7:45 am (5 minutes later than last year) to start the new addition of homeroom, it disrupts the whole bell schedule for the rest of the day. Homeroom is now 8 minutes long.
*Quote about why they added homeroom*
Lockers have now been placed closer to homeroom, so students can be more efficient in the morning. Homerooms and lockers are done alphabetically and now by graduation class.
Seniors in particular were frustrated that their locker for the past three years is now someone else’s. Everyone would have to find the new location of their locker and fidget with the combination, but the most stressful part was finding out that as a senior you received a bottom locker opposed to the perfectly good top one from last year.
Students don’t seem to be minding the extra few minutes to sit down during homeroom but are now further away from their first period classes. Students would have previously stayed in their homeroom for their 1A class and would have only switched for B days, but with the new change us lazy students find the administration scheduling more exercise for us during the day.
Our speed really came into play between 2nd half of enrichment and the beginning of 5th period. Students were given only 2 minutes to go from enrichment/lunch to their locker and then to their 5th period class. This conflict had to be compromised already, and of course cutting enrichment was the solution.
The change to the bell system doesn’t affect students that much. After all, we are still getting out of school at 2:20. But with the new system comes confusion.
It has been about a month into school and towards the end of class there’s always the question: “What time does this class end again?” And then follows the weird reply: “10:37 I think.”
Sadly, enough there won’t be any changes made to the school day now, but we can only hope for next year.