New options coming in fall of 2015: Power Hour

By: Zuhayr Alam

Yet again, CFHS students will be anticipating schedule changes for next year. On top of new classes that can be taken, ‘Power Hour’ will be implemented.

Essentially, Power Hour is a one-hour block of time in which students can seek help from teachers, eat lunch or just hang out. It will replacing a system that does not work as well as some had hoped: the Academic Zone.

“It got so bad that at one point, Mr. Strike, a math teacher, had to help a student with Spanish homework,” Principal Jason Wedgbury said. “That won’t happen in the new system.”

Wedgbury and some other teachers went to Florida to see this system in action.

“We talked with a lot of students, and they said they couldn’t imagine life without Power Hour,” Wedgbury said. “We saw that it gave them a sense of school pride.”

Sophomore Allie Taiber said that the benefits will ultimately help her education.

“I think the main benefit is that students will have a lot more freedom, which will be enjoyable and ties into a lot of other benefits. As someone who’s relatively busy, it’ll be nice to have an hour to meet with teachers, eat and get things done. The only drawback would be going from eight hours to seven, but in the end it will benefit my education,” Taiber said.

What is Power Hour?

Power hour is a one-hour block of time in which students can do whatever they need to do. They can see teachers, form study groups or just socialize and de-stress.

How does this affect the schedule?

There will be seven periods that are 47 minutes long. The Power Hour will go in between 4th and 5th hours.

How will this affect the classes I can take?

We went to an eight-period day so we could implement a mandatory study hall, with seven periods of content. With the Power Hour, there will still be seven periods of content, so students will have the same opportunities as this year.

What will happen to study hall?

Students will still have the opportunity to have a study hall and can still be assigned to small study hall, but it will not be mandatory. The Power Hour can serve as a replacement for study hall.

What is wrong with the current system?

We implemented an Academic Zone in order for students to get help from teachers. One of the drawbacks to this is that there are only core teachers available, and we want all teachers available to all students. Some students also find it difficult to approach unfamiliar teachers, even if they can help.

What will happen to lunch?

Instead of having different lunch shifts, there will be one shift spanning the whole Power Hour. Students can go to the cafeteria at any time during the hour and can leave at any time as well. Students will still have the option to eat food from home, and can eat that anywhere in the school.

Who will have the privilege of leaving the school during Power Hour?

The rules for Power Hour will be concurrent with the rules for release. Sophomores have to stay on campus, but juniors and seniors will be able to leave. As for restrictions for grades, that will be the students’ call.

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