In anticipation of a complex hyflex model this year, the administration was committed to designing a schedule that kept everyone safe and reflected growth from last year’s “emergency mode.” In order to do so, Dr. Kenny Graves, the Upper School Vice Principal for Academic Life, communicated with the middle school, coordinated with teachers, and responded to feedback from the student body.
Dr. Graves used information gathered last year from students and teachers to make some key changes. The administration completed four different drafts of the schedule so the school could evaluate all options and select the best one. The schedule prioritizes the health and safety of the Fieldston community, while also allowing for the best education possible given the circumstances. In addition to academic classes, Dr. Graves needed to account for arts, electives, PE and ethics courses. He said, “It’s easy to take shortcuts by cutting things and taking arts out. It was really difficult to keep everything but we managed to do it. To give the students the best experience [we] possibly can.”
A main concern was high-traffic areas such as the cafeteria, where students filter in and out. There needed to be ample time for the dining staff to clean between the two lunches. In order to determine the right amount of time, Dr. Graves measured the time it took for students to go through the entire lunch line, and then how long it took for the dining staff to disinfect the whole cafeteria. This resulted in a 25 minute time between the two lunches each day. Though this doesn’t cross students’ minds, it was a major concern for those creating the schedule.
Many have noticed that most days, classes don’t start until about ten o’clock — that is not a coincidence. Considering that many students have free periods during A and B bands, Dr. Graves and the scheduling committee decided to put them at the beginning of the day and encourage students to arrive later and reduce crowdedness.
Another notable change is the increase in transition time between classes. Five minutes is not enough time for everyone to get to class on time while social distancing. To accommodate for this change, class times were shortened to 35 and 55 minutes. This
was also based on feedback that virtual learning makes it more difficult to engage and concentrate for long periods of time.
The shorter class periods caused problems for the final assessment schedule. Unlike years past, there was not enough time for teachers to hold exams during class. The solution: Tuesday was added to finals week and Wednesday remained Study Day, despite the unusual timing. As Dr. Graves said, “We decided to keep study day this year because you all deserve a break. It’s been a long semester so we thought it was important.” Dr. Graves left no stone unturned in creating a schedule that promoted both safety and rigor.
