With the 10 year anniversary of Liberty High comes new changes to this year’s schedule that students had to jump right into a new block schedule and differences to class times throughout the week. This is also a huge adjustment for the teachers, as many must adapt their schedules to conform to the different times as well as tweak the overall scheduling for the year with their curriculum.

Scheduling a “power lunch” is by no means a new thing. Schools have been using schedules similar to this for a while across America as it is slowly accepted in more districts. However, having students have this long period of time goes back even further in foreign schools where they have an hour or even multiple hours where students are able to engage with school life more in-depth, enriching their learning process and strengthening their bonds with their peers and teachers.

In an interview with Dr. Nelson, our esteemed head principal, he explained that, “The power lunch schedule idea has been up in the air for just about two years now.” Nelson further explained that, “This time is ideally meant to be used for club meetings and student-to-teacher collaboration.” Overall, the administration team seems eager to see the results locally here at Liberty and expect to see a general increase in student engagement and success.

This change was an obstacle for some teachers, however, requiring alterations to their plans and groundwork that they have otherwise had for years. Many teachers were also excited and accepted this change when asked.

“Change isn’t always bad, rather than looking at the obstacles we need to work around I like to look at the positive,” social studies teacher Mr. Barker said. “It gives more time for cool activities in class that the normal 50 minutes wouldn’t allow for.” Many teachers share this same consensus with a highlight many enjoy being time to have one-on-one with students.

Soar and the implementation of Nest Time have also had some various feedback from students at Liberty. “So far I have liked the new changes,” senior Monica Reyes said. “It gives a nice break and gives time for a lot of activities.” Reyes also comments about how the office hours provided by teachers is a great opportunity to have.

This isn’t to say that some students don’t see this as a flawless change. While overall feedback is positive, sophomore Kylie Brennan states, “The changes this year have been good, I really like them. However, lunch and the whole cafeteria gets really chaotic and disorganized. Students have also been causing more ruckus than needed. The new system is still really wonderful for getting stuff done and I do prefer it this way.”

Overall, students and staff have good expectations for the changes this year despite its obstacles so far, but the diligent administration team is patching these up to give students the best experience they can have.

To read more about SOAR time and Power Lunch click HERE.