Illustration representing students’ thoughts and opinions on the decision to close movement during Seminar.
This year, the new administration has made a major change that is getting mixed reactions from both sides: no travel during the Seminar period.
In previous years, movement during Seminar was offered on specific days, with special accommodations made for certain circumstances. Now, students have to remain in their Seminar period permanently until – or if – administrators make changes.
This change blocks a student’s opportunity to make up homework or tests, as well as get additional help. This will lead to many negative consequences. In many situations students face, there is little to no opportunity during the class period to receive one-on-one assistance or make up for missing work. The lunch period may be open, but only if teachers are willing to open up their room for that time.
In previous years, Seminar has been altered each year for when travel is open, and despite these changes there was always an opportunity for students to get the help they need. For example, Seminar was only open for travel on Thursdays last year. But even that one day was an opportunity for students to tend to their academic needs.
Personally, I utilized the time to catch up on quizzes and tests I may have missed, as well as getting some extra help that wouldn’t be available during the next class period. This opportunity for me was very impactful, as it is for everyone else, to grasp the content and maintain good grades, especially for students who take honors and AP classes, and others who may miss class time due to activities within the school they are involved in.
This decision was made on a school-level basis centered off of input from both faculty members and the administration team, without student opinions and input.
Principal Connie Redic says she felt closing Seminar was the best way to address the issue of congested hallways and to reduce the risks of irresponsible students causing disruptions.
“One of the highest things on the list from administrators was the hallway management of Seminar,” Dr. Redic said. “So, when I asked for more information, the conversation was that students were in the halls all the time, they don’t necessarily go to a teacher.”
Although there have been numerous attempts to decrease the number of students wandering or skipping, there is little to no chance of ever finding a solution that would have a 100% success rate due to the simple fact that there are around 2,000 teenage students compacted into one school building. Even with this mandate, there is still a minority of students either roaming or skipping the Seminar period.
While the stressed importance of future and/or college readiness using resources such as Xello in Seminar has been beneficial to many, I believe the opportunity to get academic help now is just as important. Rather than mandating a lockdown of no movement for all, there should have been a greater effort from administrators to balance out a system that doesn’t affect the majority of students, rather just the minority.
The administration’s main goals for this school year consists around academic success and better graduation rates. The numerous statements made revolving around academics contradict the decision to close movement during the Seminar period.
