Waking up in the morning has looked different for Nānākuli High and Intermediate School students in the first quarter of school. If a student were to arrive at school at 8 am, they would no longer be early — they would be marked tardy.

NHIS made a big change: a new bell schedule. People are still adjusting, and opinions are divided. Some students and teachers think the changes are helpful, while others have some concerns. However, everyone agrees that it’s all about trying to make the school better.

The new schedule has three types of days: A, B, and B2 — every day school now starts at 8 am instead of 8:35 am. A days are odd periods and B/B2 days are even. On A and B2 days, school gets out at 2:15 p.m. But on B days, students leave early at 1:19 p.m., which lets teachers have meetings. There is also no recess, and teachers now have NIT periods for team meetings instead of a floating prep period. Teachers now have their prep period after school on A and B2 days.

“We need to go through the school year to give everything we are implementing a chance and assess progress as we go through our comprehensive needs assessment each year to reflect on our practices and effectiveness,” said NHIS Principal Dr. Christine Udarbe-Valdez.

The change in the bell schedule was voted by the teachers with over 80% who voted, approving the new bell schedule. The vote on this schedule occurred after numerous meetings, surveys, and research on various bell schedule options.

The objective behind the new schedule was to reduce issues like fighting and violence that occurred during recess. As well as to increase student academic achievement by having a built in study hall period for students to go to.

What’s Working Well

For some teachers one of the benefits of the new bell schedule is the built in study hall period. Students obtain a pass from the teacher they want to see for study hall and show it to their advisory teacher. Then, at 12:17 pm when the bell rings, the student is allowed to go to the teacher that they got the pass from. “We can offer study hall at least once a week, sometimes twice, for kids to catch up or do missing work since we didnʻt have that in the past years,” said Science Teacher and Senior Class Advisor Leah Padilla. 

Study hall can also be used for extracurricular and club meetings. “It’s also been really helpful for classic council activities, especially with homecoming season,” said Padilla.

Some students haven’t had challenges in adjusting to the new bell schedule with no recess. “So because I’m a new student to the campus in general, I’m already used to it, I really don’t mind it. I don’t have any complaints because I never had recess,” said Freshman Chloe Marie Saturino.

What’s Challenging

One of the main challenges some students are facing is getting to class on time. Passing between classes has been shortened from seven to six minutes. With the new start time and no recess, the lack of these gaps give students less time to walk to class. “I don’t like a lot of stuff about the bell schedule because there is less, there is not a lot of passing, it’s too short and there is not a lot of time for people to get anywhere,” said Freshman Bailey K. Kahue-Hoff.

As for teachers, recess served as a time to prepare for the upcoming class periods. Without this break, some have had to make adjustments. “I miss the recess in between the first and second periods because it gave teachers a moment to decompress and get ready for the next class,” said Social Studies Teacher Cheryl Irebaria.  

Last year, the schedule stayed consistent: Mondays had all periods, Tuesday and Thursday had odd periods, and Wednesday and Friday had even periods. This year, every day there is a different type of schedule, this rotation has been confusing for some. “Sometimes I can’t even remember what day it is—A, B, or B2. It’s kind of overwhelming. But I do like the odd and even days,” said Freshman Tabitha Palmer.

The newly added study hall period has worked for some teachers as it allows them to work one on one with their students. However, for others the study hall period is a challenge. “For students who need help, it’s good, but for those who are caught up with their work, there is not much for them to do,” said Senior Keola Mahoe.

What Could Be Improved

Many NHIS staff and students have ideas for how the schedule could be tweaked. For example, some students agree that passing periods need to be longer as it’s hard for students to get from one part of campus to the other in the short time allowed. Especially if they want to use the restroom before going to class.

The other common suggestion is to bring back recess, but make it shorter. “I miss the first recess. I would really appreciate having it back,” said AVID Teacher and Early College Coordinator Monica Yasuda. 

Final Thoughts

So, what’s the verdict on the new schedule? It depends on who you ask. Some people appreciate the added study hall time and the reduction in fights. Others are feeling the impact of short passing periods and missing the breaks they used to have. 

NHIS School Leadership wants to give the new bell schedule a chance before making any changes. As the school year continues, they will continue to gather data and feedback to determine if the new schedule is achieving its intended goals.