In order to accommodate the new regulations created by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, starting Monday, May 17th, students at Hingham High School will go to school until 2:32. Many students just got used to getting out of school at 12:34 or 12:59, depending on when they have lunch. As it seems the schedule is changing every other week, many students dread the idea of getting used to another schedule. 

Sophomore Mia Hull explains that, “while I understand that the school is following state guidelines, I think that the new schedule should not be happening. We have already gone through so many changes this year and just as other students and I were getting used to the accommodations we were thrown more. I think the longer classes are extremely difficult for a student and leaves them unfocused during the added time of class.” Mia relates with many students at HHS, who feel that there has been enough change and that the class periods are too long. 

A normal day at HHS will now be three ninety minute classes in a row with a fifteen minute snack break in between the second and third block of the day. Lunch will be from 1:06 – 2:32 with 3rd lunch beginning at 2:06. After lunch (unless you have senior privilege), students will have to go to a fifty-five minute study. In some cases, students may have a lab block or a class.

Senior Emma Morris, who only has around nine days left of school, stated, “I was surprised to hear that they are changing the schedule again, but I am glad they are allowing seniors to have senior privilege.” Senior privilege allows Emma to leave after her C or F period class, so she does not have to stay for the study. Students in grade 9-11 have to stay for the 55 minute study block unless they are dismissed by a parent. 

The topic of the new schedule often came up in classes throughout the week. Many people I talked to seemed to relate with Junior Camille Boer when she added “The new schedule being imposed on Monday the 17th is purposeless. Students have less than a month left of school, and extending the day will only result in exhausted, agitated teens. The extra time added to classes seems to be one factor that students at HHS do not appreciate.”

The time of lunch is one factor that many students have worries about. As now first lunch begins at 11:11, starting lunch at 1:06 will be quite the change for many students. Some student athletes have concerns about the possibility of eating lunch too close to their sport practice or game. The reasoning behind this change in lunch timing is due to staffing concerns for directed studies. Many students already enjoy eating lunch outside with their friends, and as the cafeteria closes there will be more students taking in the beautiful spring weather. 

On Monday May 10th Hingham High students and families received an email from principal Swanson outlining the new schedule. Principal Swanson expands on his thoughts by saying, “Obviously, few among us would choose to make yet one more change in a year that has contained so much of it already. However: we have been through much worse disruptions than this and we have already overcome much bigger challenges. I’m grateful for the flexibility and the resilience of our whole school community: teachers, staff and students alike.” As we near the end of the school year, of course no one wants to face yet another interference. Mr. Swanson understands this, but also explains how we have faced so many more obstacles this year, that do not even compare to this little bump in the road.   

Junior Teagan Schnorr remarks on positive aspects of this change by “It’ll definitely be strange to have a new schedule transition with just a few weeks left of school, but I know it’s for the best and hopefully it will give us more time to meet with teachers. We’re all slowly getting readjusted to being back in school but the prospect of returning to a normal schedule is really exciting!” Although another new shift with such little time left in school annoys a lot of students, Teagan also chose to focus on more optimistic outcomes of the longer schedule such as more time with teachers, and being closer to what a normal day of school used to look like. 

From Zoom to in-person, Hingham High School has come a long way, as we near the end of this weird school year. As the change in schedule resembles a somewhat normal day, this gives hope for a return to a normal schedule in the fall. Although many students see the change as pointless as it is so close to the end of the year, this change in plans is just one more obstacle students at Hingham High School will have to face.