A new schedule has reached South Windsor High School for the 2025-2026 school year. This is the second time SWHS has experienced a schedule change in the past four years.
“Under last year’s schedule, Mondays included all eight classes in 35-minute periods, while the rest of the week followed a four-block schedule with 77-minute classes. The new schedule eliminates eight-period Mondays and replaces 77-minute blocks with 90-minute classes, which also removes the daily Bobcat Block.
While most students and teachers appreciate the removal of 8 period Mondays due to the short class times resulting in scheduling conflicts, there are many debates of whether the new schedule’s benefits outweigh the challenges.
“I’m okay with the Monday schedule being removed,” Alisha Abraham, sophomore at South Windsor High School said. “But I like the old schedule better than the new one.”
During the previous year, students had 120 minutes worth of Bobcat Block time, which was cut in half to accommodate 90 minute classes on Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s. Students utilize their Bobcat Blocks as a shortened study hall. Many may visit teachers, catch up on work, or decompress during this time.
The decreased Bobcat Block time leaves students with less flexible time during their school week, resulting in more homework, and the need to stay after school with teachers.
For many students at SWHS, clubs, sports and other extracurriculars eat up their free time, leaving less time for curriculum based homework. With only two days of Bobcat Block in a week, students may struggle to manage their workload.
“I don’t like how the school took out Bobcat Block because it takes away the only free time we get in a day,” sophomore Diva Shajith told the Prowl.
An additional concern students and teachers have with the new schedule are 90 minute class periods, which is a significant shift for all.
According to Brightmont Academy, longer class periods can negatively impact education. Students may lose interest in classes, and have a harder time paying attention as the period progresses. Additionally, students who miss class due to inevitable illness, will have more to make up upon their return.
Along with the struggles students face, teachers have been challenged with adjusting their entire curriculum to adapt to the longer periods. In some classes, lessons are packed and time runs out, while in others, there’s a good 10-20 minutes left at the end of the lesson due to poor timing.
In addition, aside from Thursdays and Fridays, teachers don’t have their regular Bobcat Block to advise which limits their time to decompress and connect with students.
“I really liked my Bobcat Block last year,” Dalton Hawie, English Teacher at South Windsor High School told The Prowl. “They were absolutely goated, so it’s kind of sad to see Bobcat Block take more of [the] back seat.”
With the first 2 weeks of school completed, students and staff are still adjusting to the new schedule. Only time will tell whether or not this shift was worth the hassle.
