Students React to the New Schedule Pilot Days

When prompted “Do you feel as though your input was factored into the creation of the new schedule?” on a scale from “1-I feel as though my opinion was not fairly factored in, and/or I am heavily dissatisfied with the degree to which my opinion was factored in.” to “10-I feel as though my opinion was heavily factored in, and/or I am content with the amount that my opinion was factored in,“ the average student voted a 3.21. One student commented that “If the students input was factored, [she doesn’t] think the schedule would be anything like it is.” After the administering of pilot days, however, students were given opportunities to share feedback. 

Student Council’s advocacy committee, led by Walker Stollenwerck ‘27, hosted a “town hall” following the trial days to give students a platform for their opinions to be heard. Here, students reflected on the structure and timing of the schedule, impacts on their academics, the new lunch setup, and the added influx of free time and club meeting opportunities. One aspect of the new schedule that students emphasized was its later start time. Many felt as though the day went by faster, and that the schedule was holistically more balanced. Opinions following lunch and free time, however, leaned more negative. Some students complained that lunch and third spaces like the library or upper heath were “too chaotic” during common free time. A multifaceted take emerged from the longer blocks, which benefitted many for labs, in class essays and English discussions, but proved a challenge in other subjects. In addition to Student Council’s town hall, students were given a chance to provide feedback on the new schedule in a google form sent out by dean of academics, Kristine Waters.

A significant change between the current to new schedule is the deletion of one block, for a total seven block schedule. Some students found it helpful, reporting positive impacts from less switching, and more focused time. Others disagreed. This change especially affects the J schoolers, who will now have to choose between Latin and a modern language, instead of being able to study both. Out of 14 7th-graders surveyed, 6 mentioned this specific change’s impacts on them. Junior school languages aren’t the only courses being affected, however. MSON courses will also be altered with the new schedule. One student shared that she “can’t take an MSON course along with [her] other courses which [she] was hoping to do.” 

The new schedule’s unified lunch block aspires to foster community by having a time that everyone is available to eat with their friends. With the current schedule, X-block lunch, middle school, senior school, and junior school lunch separate students' lunch waves from those of their peers. The longer lunch block also offers more time to get things done, with one student commenting that they were able to “use the flex block to get some of [their]  homework done.” Hopkins Junior schoolers also saw the new lunch block’s benefits, with one commenting that the tables were cleaner for J schoolers than they were used to. Still, the new lunch schedule proved a big adjustment for lots of the Hopkins community. When asked “How did the new schedule impact your lunch?” on a scale from 1-Very negatively, 3-not at all, to 5-very positively, the average respondent ranked it a 2.32. 

The Razor asked students what they wanted to see featured or removed for next year. Many students reported positive feelings toward the thirty-minute later starting time, saying that it helped them catch up on sleep and have a more relaxing morning. Others appreciated the fewer classes that met per day, as it helped them engage in deeper focus on what they were learning. Junior schoolers, who are used to sparse study hall or flex times, reported positive feelings towards the addition of a daily junior school study hall. In response to the longer class times that posed struggles towards many students’ attention spans, one respondent suggested “2-3 minute stretch times during each block.” It is clear that the new schedule will be an adjustment; while some students are excited, others are frustrated or feel as though their voices are unheard. As students enter the 2026-2027 school year, history teacher and class of 2028 head advisor, Scott Wich reminds the Hopkins community to “go into the new schedule with an open mind rather than a catastrophist mindset; try to see both the crunchy and the smooth.”