At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, students became aware that a new schedule was ultimately being reviewed and reformed  in which a new “block-type schedule” would replace the current schedule. Particularly interested in this upcoming change, I took it upon myself to take the time to dig into some sources. As a staff writer during my sophomore year, I worked with Editor-in-Chief, Kerwing Hy, and I came up with some of my own questions regarding this mysterious new schedule. After a meeting about the schedule, Kerwing and I learned that a new schedule was being put in place for the academic year of 2012-2013 and that it would consist of a six day cycle that includes eight 80 minute periods and eighteen 52 minutes classes over the course of the a cyle whereas the previous schedule consisted of only forty 42 minute periods per week.  Needless to say, all of West was shocked!
Anxious at most, students of West awaited the arrival of their new schedule in the mail this past summer.  Surprise struck as the new schedule lie in the hands of high school students, well at least for me it did.  Even as the first day of school approached I was in shock, but after some time, I grew to take liking to the new schedule. Giving everyone a little time to decide what he or she thinks of the new schedule seemed practical.
In my endeavor to learn how the rest of the student body felt, by the end of the month of September, I created a simple poll and by the end of the first week in October I collected nearly half of the schools opinions, diligently making sure each grade was represented. The results? Seniors and freshmen favor the new schedule while junior and sophomores generally dislike it.
Only few pros and cons were brought to my attention. The whole school agreed that the perks of the block schedule include:  taking a liking to the variety of each day, more time to complete homework, a closer relationship with your staff, and ultimately less class time in the end. The defects of the block schedule that students agreed upon were that at first it was overwhelming having to memorize which classes he/she has on each day, time management when it comes to turning in homework/projects and knowing how to plan to study, flaws in the new teaching techniques for longer periods, and the biggest complaint was that lunch is extremely too short.
The new schedule was created in order to foreshadow what college life will be like and so far I believe it is doing just that. Yes, there are some flaws, but every change has to be practiced and perfected. Overall the new schedule creates a more rigorous schedule for each student and challenges him/her in the area of responsibility. It is our decision on how we approach the matter.