Schedule Changes for Springville Junior High

by Kristi Hatch
SJHS Staff Writer

What could you do with an extra hour after school? Some students do homework, some play video games, and others sleep. This year at Springville Junior High School, Wednesdays are “early out” days, which means that students get out of school at 1:55 instead of 2:40. This has been an adjustment from last year, when we had late start Wednesdays.

As a journalism class, we asked Mr. Darrel Rolfe, principal at Springville Junior, why the schedule changed. He explained that it changed because of teacher collaboration meetings. “The district met and looked at all the schools in the state that had early out and found that those teacher meetings had a much better turnout than late start,” Mr. Rolfe explained.

Teacher collaboration meetings are the reason that the junior high has early out this year, and had late start Wednesdays last year. Mrs. Hamilton, a teacher at SJHS, explained that the meetings are to help teachers better teach the students. Teachers also discuss how to “raise the success level of the students.”

Mr. Mark Bake, a vice principal at SJHS, has had a lot of experience with collaboration at the district level. “As principals, we manage collaboration and help teachers have a good experience. Principals become teachers, and teachers become students, so we become teachers of teachers. More importantly, teachers teach each other,” Bake explained.

The counselors at SJHS are also involved in collaboration meetings. Mr. Blakey, the 9th grade counselor at the junior high, informed us that the counselors have meetings of their own. They also have meetings with other school counselors in the district.

Everyone has their opinion on early out. Some people like it better than last year, others don’t. Sam Swasey, a ninth grader, said he likes early out better because he can sleep, read, and do homework with that hour. Sammy Curtis, also a ninth grader, agrees with him.

Everyone is affected by this change. Administrators hope that it will improve the teaching and make Springville Junior High School a better place.