New School Year, New Bell Schedule. With the upcoming school year, Nānākuli High and Intermediate School has decided to implement a new bell schedule in the 2026-2027 School Year. NHIS currently has a rotating bell schedule, alternating between A, B, and B2. “A” schedule contains all odd periods. “B” is all even periods plus a mid-day advisory period while “B2” offers the same as B, just with a study hall section after the mid-day advisory. All days contain a 15-minute morning advisory.

“It was discovered through ILT discussions as well as polling using google forms that the majority of the staff found our current rotating schedule difficult to plan around and that most stakeholders (students, parents, community, etc.) would prefer a schedule that was more predictable,” said Guitar and Ukulele teacher Blythe Ezell who headed the bell schedule committee.

The current schedule rotates, meaning there is no consistent type of day assigned to each day of the week. For example, one Monday may be an “A Day,” while the following Monday could be a “B Day.” This rotating system creates challenges for students trying to keep track of the schedule and also impacts feeder school families, as many students are responsible for picking up younger siblings after school.

“With a schedule that does not change weekly, it will be easier for teachers to plan their lives outside of the school day such as appointments and picking up their own children,” said Ezell. “Additionally, our decisive alignment with the feeder elementary schools on their early release Wednesday will make life easier for parents/students that also have to collect young children from down the road.”

After revisiting the current bell schedule, the NHIS teachers decided to propose a few new bell schedules, sending out surveys to the students and community to get some feedback to make a decision. The overall decision is made by the teachers, as they collectively pick one schedule. If 66 ⅔ % of the teacher voting votes in favor of the schedule, the schedule changes. Over 80% of the teachers voted for the alternate schedule. 

“At first, I was peeved that we were going through the process of changing the bell schedule again but after all is said and done, I am content with the schedule,” said Academy of Sustainability Freshman and Sophomore Science teacher Leah Padilla, “It’s more consistent which works for my brain.” 

The new bell schedule consists of the following:

Every Monday and Thursday, students will have periods one, two, three, and four, while every Tuesday and Friday will be periods five, six, advisory, and seven; these days end at 2:15 pm. On Wednesdays, students will have all seven classes for 35 minutes per period, ending at 12:57 pm. 

“I think it will definitely help with the elementary early release…academically I am unsure. I think it’s great to have a fixed schedule so no one has to wonder what day it is, and it makes planning field trips easier,” said Middle School Science teacher Cayenne Gabaylo. “But the est. 30 minute class periods (and seeing EVERY class) on Wednesdays isn’t a good idea as you can’t do much with that time.” 

Although heavily supported by the teachers at NHIS, some students disagree with the change. Atheena Puou, a Sophomore who filled out the survey, voted to keep the schedule the same because it offers her more time to do homework after school, ensuring that she doesn’t fall behind. 

“To me it doesn’t make sense to go to every class on one day for only 30 minutes when it takes me 10 minutes just to walk to the next class,” said Puou. “This will impact my education because, how much content can a teacher cover in 20 minutes? It will take time for me to get there, other students will still come in after me. It takes about close to 10 minutes to explain what we’re going to do and take attendance.”

However, some students are excited for the new change next school year. Sophomore Aviannah Ako has been at NHIS since her seventh grade year, who also filled out the survey, is looking forward to what the new schedule has to offer.

“I like the new schedule because it has all periods on one day and it can give us time to catch up with any work that we are missing prior to that day,” said Ako. “I also like that it stays the same every week and the days don’t switch around.”

With every new thing comes some concerns. As students and staff await the implementation of the new schedule next school year, everyone will need time to adjust. The real test is the feedback that comes after the students and staff experience the new change.