As most of us are painfully aware, summer has come to a close.
Those glorious lazy days are passing us by, and piles of homework
are slowly accumulating on our desks.
As most of us are painfully aware, summer has come to a close. Those glorious lazy days are passing us by, and piles of homework are slowly accumulating on our desks.
And, although we will always have tests to take and essays to write – this school year may be a little bit different – at least for Ann Sobrato and Live Oak students.
Even though summer is over, the sun is still shining and beautiful days greet us. And this year, Sobrato and Live Oak are bringing a bit of that sun onto campus.
Construction has begun to install solar panels over the student parking lots at each school. Sobrato Principal Deborah Padilla says that the new solar panels should “offset the cost of electricity and provide cover for students’ vehicles.” After construction, the parking lot should resemble a large carport.
As part of an environmentally aware generation, Morgan Hill high school students have had a positive reaction to the prospect of solar power on their school campus.
In fact, some wonder why we did not implement it sooner. Padilla noted that the idea was been in place for a few years, and they have been in the process of organizing the project for some time. And now we are finally seeing the results.
This new addition has caused a bit of an inconvenience at Sobrato, as the student parking lot has been blocked off in order to speed up construction.
However, the benefits should eventually outweigh the inconvenience we are experiencing. Originally, administrators had hoped that the panels would be ready before the beginning of the school year, but state approval took longer than was anticipated. Padilla expects the project to be completed within four to six weeks.
Perhaps an even brighter change for Morgan Hill high school students is referred to as “late-start” Wednesdays.
Every Wednesday, school begins at 9 a.m., pushing back the school day by one hour. Padilla stated that the staff had wanted “professional development time” for years, but it had never been convenient. The best way to provide this extra staff training was though the new bell schedule.
She strongly believes that this time will be beneficial to both students and staff.
Wednesdays get a little bit sweeter for students as each class period is shortened further to allot time for a weekly advisory class.
Advisory is essentially a counseling session.
During this half hour, teachers advise students on grades, college, tests and any other problems they may have. Underclassmen occasionally receive short lessons administered by upperclassmen.
It is understandable that some may view “late-start” Wednesdays from a negative perspective.
Is it appropriate to be cutting class time? This issue has been circulating around for years.
More school or less school? However, each class has only been cut by 15 minutes once a week. Most teachers are able to work within that time constraint, and, theoretically, are improving their teaching skills by involving themselves in “professional development time.”
So, while the students arrive at 9 a.m. for classes, teachers arrive at 7:30 a.m. for their collaborative meetings.
Each school year brings something new to the table.
Every year, each student will have new classes, new teachers and will make new friends.
But it is not every year that students can say that their high school is becoming environmentally friendly by installing solar panels over the school parking lot, or that the new bell schedule lets them sleep in on Wednesdays.
Did change ever sound so good?
Sabrina Werts just started her junior year at Ann Sobrato High School. In addition to writing, she enjoys piano and dance.
