Schedule changes have become something of a tradition with every new school year. So, it came as no surprise when students were told that there were changes made this year as well. This year, the changes that were implemented have left students with mixed feelings.

The three biggest changes are the switch from a 1-8 Panther Block Schedule to a Monday-Friday schedule, the shared schedule with middle school, and the alternation between Panther Block and lunch.

Andy Vaughan, Dean of students, says that these changes were made because the 1-8 Panther Block schedule provided inconsistency with assembly days and advisory, and it was quite hard to manage. It was difficult to keep it organised.

The new schedule has definitely made it easier to know when we have assemblies and when we have advisory; but it has also made it a lot harder to know when we have club meetings. Whereas last year each club was assigned a day from 1-8, this year there are week 1 and week 2 clubs. As a student, it is difficult to remember which clubs are in week 1 and which are in week 2 and this confusion has caused a number of students to forget which club meetings they are supposed to attend.

The shared schedule with middle school was created because of the decrease in student enrollment this year. This year, a greater number of teachers “are shared across divisions in some subject areas.” So the schedules in both divisions need to align in order for the teachers to be able to “teach in both divisions easily.”

Although this is one of the more frustrating changes for students, it is also the reason that ISB is still able to offer the same range of subjects that has been offered in the past. When looking at it that way, it does make sense that it had to be done to avoid even bigger changes. It seems like a small price to pay in order to be able to continue having the same classes as previous years.

The third change, alternating between Panther Block and lunch, came about as a result of the shared schedule. With high school and middle school schedules aligning, lunch aligned as well. Unfortunately, the cafeteria is not big enough to accommodate both middle school and high school at the same time, so it had to be ensured that neither division would be in the cafeteria while the other was there.

It has been difficult to adjust to this change, especially for students who have no meetings to attend during Panther Block. Many students find themselves unsure of where to go and, consequently, the library fills up with idle high schoolers. This crowd of students can be detrimental to the environment that the library seeks to have. Students who genuinely wish to study are disturbed.

On the other hand it is also a change that cannot be avoided as a result of the shared schedule. The benefits of the shared schedule are important to consider as well. There would be a lot more anger and chaos amongst students and teachers if some classes were no longer offered.

In conclusion, the changes, which were made with the interest of students in mind, have been rather difficult to adjust to. Especially since students had only just gotten comfortable with the previous schedule quite recently. Changes can often be frustrating and it is easy to see them as nothing but a nuisance in our busy lives. Yet, changes can be positive in the long run and we should not lose sight of that. All of the changes that were made were carefully thought-out and made to improve the lives of students and teachers at ISB. It is important to remember that there are reasons behind these decisions, and while we may all not agree with them, they are usually for our benefit.

Shreshta Gupta