Big changes are coming to West Delaware as a new schedule will take effect in the 2027/2028 school year. A six-hour schedule will replace the block schedule.
Students will attend six classes a day on a trimester schedule.
Two trimesters will equal one semester on the block schedule. Current one-semester classes will always begin in the first and second trimesters, and no two-term classes will start in the third trimester.
With the new schedule change, students will have to manage six classes. Emma Millenkamp (10) believes that the schedule will take time to adjust to.
“I think it’s going to take a lot of getting used to for a lot of people, but I think it’ll be a good opportunity for all of us to be able to take more classes and have more opportunities,” Millenkamp said.
With the added classes and shortened class time, a frequently posed question is whether students should expect more homework. Teacher Cole Duncalf thinks that students will need to build new skills to manage homework.
“We’ve gotten away from the idea of homework and doing some of your stuff outside of school. I don’t necessarily think it’s an inherently bad thing,” Duncalf said. “The tricky part is helping students build up those skills and to make sure they have the management and organization to keep on top of it.”
Student Tyler Buesing (11) feels that students should use class time efficiently to avoid homework.
“If I’m really focused, I will rarely have stuff to do outside of class. So I think if people just focus more on using the time they’re given, it shouldn’t be that much of an issue,” Buesing said.
The schedule will not only affect students, but it will also affect teachers, as teachers will only have one hour to prepare for six classes, instead of an hour and a half to prepare for four classes.
Teacher Ryan King believes that the adjustment for teachers will be similar to what students will experience.
“You’re going to go from having 90 minutes of prep time to 60 or 50 and having a couple more classes to prep for and grade for,” King said. “So, it’s just like the kids. It’ll be an adjustment for teachers as well.”
King believes that the new 60-minute schedule is a healthy balance.
“I think that the length of the class period is kind of ideal. I think 90 minutes is sometimes long,” King said. “And, having taught on an eight-period schedule, I think 40 minutes is too fast for a lot of classes. So I think it’s a good middle ground for time spent in class.”
Class choices will also change. For FCC teacher Christian Carper, classes may be split up.
“With the schedule change and with more opportunities for classes, what’s likely to end up happening is that Foods II will split up and become two different Foods classes where we can focus on baking in one of them, and then we can focus on meat production and cooking entrees in the other,” Carper said. “I think I’ll be able to offer more experiences with this new setup.”
Teacher Max Stolz is optimistic about the new schedule.
“I think there are some learning curves that are going to come with it,” Stoltz said. “And I think if everybody just keeps an open mind about it, we’ll be okay.”
