Spring Term Schedule
By: Jessica Huang, Safira Schiowitz, Ellie Ana Sperantsas, Elina Yang
The Academy created a new academic schedule for the upcoming spring term, altering its current remote model to anticipate in-person classes.
Most notably, the new schedule eliminates the G and H format evening class blocks. The schedule consists of a two-week cycle, each with formats A through F and reserves, with times written in EST. Classes will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Each class, including the reserve blocks in Week 2, has the opportunity to meet four times a week.
In Week 1, A, B, C and D formats will have extended time from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. Classes will have the option to go on “field trips” on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Faculty meeting, meditation, advising, anti-racist work and assembly take place throughout the week from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Music ensembles are scheduled from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Additional changes include the random designation of B1 or B2 and D1 or D2 for B and D formats. “That will determine whether students will have class before or after eating lunch,” Saltman said. “That is to stagger the lunch times—otherwise all students would have to eat in [the same] 40 minute window.”
Week 2 will have no Wednesday classes; however, music lessons, meditation and sports will still take place.
“After the February break, there are 18 weeks before the end of school. Within that time, there will be a brief break between terms, but not the extended break to which we are accustomed,” Director of Studies Scott Saltman said. “Those Wednesdays are to provide a regular break in the rhythm every other week for rest and reflection.”
“I feel like if you have a long period of free time, then you're not very productive. If I had a free day in the middle of the week, then it would make me a lot less stressed for the other four days. I would be able to spread out my work better,” upper Allison Kim said. “I think that reduced stress during the week will make up for not having a long period of relaxation.”
“I don't know how to feel about no Wednesday classes because they [might] increase the workload on other days of the week,” upper Nicholas Chen from Taipei explained.
In terms of morning times, the new schedule opens earliest at 8 a.m., and includes TLR, denoting tender love care sessions.
“I’m not a morning person, so having to wake up at 7 a.m. my time sucks, but I don’t think the Academy could have made the schedule any better to accommodate all time zones,” prep Jonathan Chen, currently living in California, said. “I also like that we won't be having asynchronous classes and more in-person classes.”
N. Chen found asynchronous blocks to be inconvenient. “For students living in East Asian time zones, this block occurs 40 minutes past midnight, which can be a little bit difficult to manage.”
For many, the removal of evening classes has been a cause for celebration. “I prefer to have all my classes before I have sports because then you're done with that,” upper Keona Edwards said.
“It leaves more time for me to do homework at night and to not have stress or rush having class soon after sports practices and club meetings,” J. Chen added.
Upper Liza McMahan agreed, adding, “Having to get yourself back into a “school mode” after a few hours of relaxation is extremely difficult and hard to keep consistent.”
“Not only does it [the new schedule] give you more time to do homework, but it gives you more time to spread it out,” upper Aletheia Zou said. “I'm in Asia, so it means that I have to do all my homework the night before my classes [with the current schedule].”
Lower Enzo Nakornsri from Bangkok, Thailand sleeps from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and does his homework throughout the night. Despite having to shift his daily routine to fit the time zone, Nakornsri said, “I believe this term’s timetable would accommodate me incredibly well regardless, ensuring I get an appropriate amount of sleep.”
However, the lack of evening classes could negatively impact international students, forcing them to take classes late at night. “Having classes that early in the morning forces people around my time zone to go nocturnal,” lower Franklin Chow from Hong Kong said. “For students outside of the EST time zone, having classes after midnight might completely ruin their daily schedule and health.”
Lower Maggie Chang from Taipei noted the challenges the new schedule could pose for her. “The field trips and having no evening classes push classes to end later—D2/B2 starts at 12:30 a.m. for me,” she said. “Having classes this late would potentially impact my performance and it’s also bad for my health.”
Others questioned the practicality of COVID-restricted in-person classes. “I heard [in-person classes last term] were really hard because you couldn’t hear people with all the plexi glass and the masks,” Kim said. “I feel like it's not worth the hassle and the risk. I really like being on campus, so I'm fine with being on campus even without having in-person classes.”
The Academy hosted a Zoom session for new international students who will be arriving on campus for the first time. This virtual session informed students of what their experience on campus might look like during the pandemic.
“As we did have ISO [International Student Organization] leaders for the fall, students may be paired with an upperclassman mentor,” ISO Student Coordinator Jennifer Smith added. “Students will be receiving an email with these resources listed from me prior to travel.”
“We are still working on how we will provide a sui