Juniors fill the stairwell lining up to pick up their schedules and pay fees before school start Aug. 19. | Joy Harris

Joy Harris
Hartselle Enquirer

The beginning of the 2013-2014 school year is ringing in multiple changes to Hartselle City Schools. Along with the additional Hartselle Intermediate School and new superintendent, Hartselle High School is implementing extended period days into its regular schedule.

Students will attend their regular seven class periods each Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays and Thursdays will be extended days with students going to 90-minute first, third, fifth and seventh periods on Wednesdays and second, fourth, sixth and a new Tiger periods on Thursdays.

The new Tiger period will allow for clubs, meetings, tutoring or other scheduled extra curricular activities to take place each week without taking time away from instructional time. Any planned special presentations from outside groups, such as the senior meeting, will also take place during Tiger period.

HHS has also scheduled 11 early release days throughout the year. All high schoolers will be able to leave school at 1:30 p.m. while teachers will stay at school for training sessions.

High school buses will be able to pick up bus-riding students on these early release days, since HHS has their own separate buses. Last year was the first year HHS had separate buses from the rest of the system. All appointments or other reasons students would miss school are asked to be scheduled after 1:30 p.m. on these days.

Principal Jeff Hyche feels adding the extended period days will greatly benefit the school and students.

“Teachers will have to plan accordingly to accommodate for the altered schedule, but it will be better educationally,” Hyche said. “The extended periods will allow for more group work and study time in class. Other progressive schools nationwide are already on this sort of schedule, including Spain Park and Cullman. This also has a more collegiate structure to it.”

The early release days will allow for more teacher training time during school hours instead of finding time during teachers’ personal time.

“It has been very hard to find time outside of schools for teachers to attend workshops and training, but this way it’s already built into their schedules,” Hyche said. “We will have a planned training agenda each early release day, often bringing in presenters and educators from outside the system. This will help students get the best education we can give them.”

Hyche said he feels the new schedule will take some getting used to, but students and teachers will like it once acclimated.

“Change is always difficult at first, but this is definitely for the best,” Hyche said. “I think everyone will like it and benefit from it.”