This editorial represents the opinions of all 13 out of 13 editors present.
Aragon debuted its new bell schedule with the start of the 2015-16 school year. While the Outlook understands the necessity of accommodating flex time, we believe its implementation should not come at the cost of six-minute passing periods.
Aragon’s passing periods were lengthened from their original five minutes more than ten years ago with the rationale that students needed time to reach the portable classrooms on the tennis court when the school was undergoing a period of heavy construction. The bell schedule featured six-minute passing periods until it was modified for this school year.
Although that period of construction is now over, Aragon did undergo some renovation with the recent addition of the science wing and theatre, expanding its campus once again. While the five-minute passing period might have once been enough time to get around when the school consisted of just center court and the north and south wings, that is no longer the case.
In addition to the inconvenience that comes with having to rush to classes located on opposite sides of the school, the Outlook believes that having a longer passing period, and therefore a longer break in between classes, is ultimately more conducive to efficient learning. More time to go to your locker, go to the bathroom, walk around, or talk to your teachers allows you more time to refresh and recharge, so you can focus better in class.
Students who have classes located on opposite ends of the school are faced with the challenge of needing to dodge the slow walkers while rushing across the bridge. It takes almost six minutes to walk from the history wing to the locker rooms, or from English class to drama — and that’s not counting the time it takes to clean up, get organized, and talk to your teacher if necessary. Passing periods should be used as a short break between intensive periods of learning rather than a rush to the next class.
The Outlook believes that the extension of passing period would positively affect students’ learning experience – so much so that we believe the benefits of extending passing period would offset any possibly negative consequences from shaving a minute or two from class and/or announcement time to make it possible.
We acknowledge that it is nearly impossible to create a perfect bell schedule with teachers’ need for instructional minutes and our newfound commitment to flex time. However, in an ideal world, we would have enough time between classes to recover and prepare for our next class.
