Later start time, shorter break periods, five classes on Wednesdays—these are some of the changes implemented by the new schedule for the 2025-2026 school year. But do the students like the new changes, do they help the school, and why were they made?
Over the summer, a group that included Head of Middle School Leslie Ann Little, Middle School Director of Operations Anne-Sophie Hankla, and other administrators looked into the early 7:10 a.m. wake up call for the varying community groups in the Middle School. The mornings were just too early for everyone when morning groups were held at 7:15 a.m. “There were some pain points in the old schedule,” Little says.
The early mornings suited neither faculty nor teachers. Teachers that had other drop off times or lived too far away were not able to get to school in time for morning groups, and Little was concerned about the impact on students. “I’m usually here at seven o’clock or a little bit before, and seeing kids sitting in the dark was problematic,” she says.
Moreover Little had concerns about the way the previous schedule could mean a long day for Westminster students. “Then [students] go on to a host of other activities, right? And might not get home until six o’clock at night . . . so it was a real concern that we were contributing to the length of the day,” she says.
Though these changes have been good for some aspects of the school day, some see negatives. In order to start later time had to be taken from all student breaks. In particular, morning recess has shrunk to only ten minutes.
This change was necessary due to the time slots in the day and a required 3:10.p.m dismissal time; though the team working on the schedule still wanted a time for kids to just relax. Assistant Head of the Middle School Vielka Reina supports the idea of recess in the Middle School. “I think that it is really important; I love that our Middle School has recess for middle schoolers.” she says.
The students have noticed a significant difference even with only a five-minute cut to recess. 7th grader Mia Gonzalez feels that the change does affect her day. “It makes it so that I can’t spend as much time hanging out with my friends as I used to,” she says.
Moreover, 8th grader Lily Allenbach says that the time taken for Office Hours impacts her. “I feel that it’s harder to get things done when Office Hours is shorter.”
Teachers are also having some trouble with the new times. Eighth grade Physical Science teacher Alison Aitken likes the new schedule but thinks the “10-minute recess we could work on.”
Wednesday Community Time now only runs for 40 minutes to accommodate for the later morning and to keep class times the same. Moreover, Reina says the scheduling committee took into account how uncomfortable long assemblies can be. “You’re sitting on these hard bleachers and paying attention to whatever it may be which could be very entertaining but after a while . . . ok now my attention span has gone a little bit” she says.
Overall, despite changes to improve the mornings and accommodate teachers’ needs, there will be tradeoffs. “You can’t have it all, and that’s the hardest part.” Reina says.