Patriots Do. The simple statement implies that we all live busy lives with little time for pesky things like eating. Between sports, Theatre, Band classes, and every other opportunity offered to us, JC student’s lives can get pretty hectic.

That’s why the new schedule came as such a relief. It works with students to allow them more time to succeed in school and to partake in club meetings by giving them enough free time, 55 minutes, to get things done. Also, now students aren’t swallowing food whole because lunch is built into the schedule.

Although the schedule creates a better learning environment for the average student, it affects the individual if that student is part of Chorus and a sports team. Chorus extends 10 minutes later than it did last year which is a struggle to get to practice on time for athletes.

However, Chorus teacher Julie Parrish has worked closely with students to make the change easier. She has done a fantastic job working with coaches and students to make sure students are passing Chorus and attending practices.

Then there’s the 10 minute break. My only complaint about it is that I don’t see many people taking advantage of it. Normally, I sit in my class and wait for the bell. If the 10 minutes were taken out, then Chorus could end five minutes earlier. Also, instead of being 10 minutes late to practice, students involved in Chorus would only be a few minutes late and other students could get out of school five minutes earlier.

Not only are students 10 minutes late to practice, but they also have to spend most of their lunch mod waiting in line to buy food. By the time the majority of students get their lunch there is still 15 minutes left in the mod, which is a perfect amount of time to eat. My advice for anyone who is buying lunch is to wait for other students to get food and then go up to buy lunch about 15 minutes into the mod.

Despite its flaws, the new schedule has impacted my day in a positive way by giving me more time off. With this extra time, I can get more done and be on top of my classes.

Last year, I could only get work done if I had more than one off mod. Now, one off mod is often double the time of a single mod from last year. I have already seen an improvement in my grades compared to the past two years.

Also, I know exactly what to expect every day because the class lengths are all the same, and none of my classes exceed an hour, except for AP Chemistry. There are some weeks where AP classes don’t meet every day, which is nice, seeing as last year most AP classes were taken every day. The break from different classes every week is a great way to catch up on work and study what you learned the other day in your more challenging classes.

Overall, I think the new schedule allows students to have more time to focus on their classes so they aren’t as stressed. Although there are some problems that still need to be worked out, the new schedule is doing great things for students.

Megan King is a Perspectives Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.