Homeroom is looking to make major changes for the 2024-25 school year.
“We are still working through these changes, but one of the major changes is time of day. We’re looking to move to after the 3rd/8th blocks,” principal Gretchen Pontious said.
This means that after lunch blocks, homeroom will happen. The 4th/9th blocks will be pushed back through the end of the day.
“I feel like it will probably cause problems with it moving after lunch,” sophomore Brooke Downs said.
Since the student-athletes leave before the day ends, there is a concern about missing more of their last block.
“For the most part not all the time, but you’re already missing class as well because you’re not just missing homeroom, so I don’t think there will be a huge difference,” Pontious said.
Homeroom will be having a new SEL (social emotional learning) curriculum including icebreakers between students and getting to know each other.
“Freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors would all be covering the same topic. I guess what it’s at a different level or how it’s covered is a little bit different,” Pontious said.
Many students now find the SEL videos kid-like or unreal.
“I personally think the current SEL curriculum is a bit overkill. The questions and videos don’t really show a real-life example of the topic,” Downs said.
Gifted teacher Kurt Sherry is hopeful about the curriculum.
“They’re solid practices. They are really about teachers, establishing better relationships with students, students getting a better sense of belonging in the school,” Sherry said.
Travel days will still be allowed, but the days may be moved or reduced.
“Based on how many lessons we need to complete, we will map out which days are travel days and which ones aren’t.” Pontious said. “We still want students to be able to travel because it’s where you get help, so we don’t want to take that away but it might be two days instead of three or it might be different days of the week. I don’t know that answer yet.”
Seniors who do not have a second-semester homeroom will not be able to have a last block.
“We don’t want them to leave and come back. Most of them who don’t have a homeroom would also not need a full schedule,” Pontious said.
School para’s right now leave at around when homeroom starts. For next year they’re trying to figure out a solution.
“We’re going to look at everybody’s schedule and see how we can optimize them. So whether we do a longer lunch or they have an additional break during the day or some of them might leave just a little bit earlier,” Pontious said.