When students returned in August to a new schedule featuring a morning study hall, some were skeptical and confused. Many students and staff were initially apprehensive about the new Fluco “What I Need” (quickly shortened to Fluco “WIN”), but they slowly got the hang of the 30-minute student hall. By the end of the semester, students and staff seemed to have the schedule down.
But when school returned after winter break, WIN had been changed. It now takes place after second period, and some are expressing mixed responses.
On the plus side, getting a brief, catch-up block in the center of the day can help relieve piled up work during the school day. If students find that they are getting too much homework in a day, the late morning block of time provides an opportunity to knock some of it out before their afternoon classes.
“I like the way it is now because it’s almost like a break in the middle of the day. If I’m stressed with work I can get some of it done early to relieve some of the stress of school work that day,” said sophomore Delaney Feury.
However, canvassing student opinions on the change reveals that the vast majority of students preferred last semester’s homeroom-like style of WIN. Many used it as a time to catch up on work before their first block class, especially if they hadn’t done their homework from the night before.
“I don’t like the change. When it was at the beginning of the day I got a chance to get my work done before the school day. It would also wake me up and get me ready for the day since I could talk to my friends,” said freshman Olivia McPherson.
Some students complain that they miss the opportunity to get homework and incomplete assignments done before they’re due that day, or to study for an upcoming quiz or test. This can lead them to feeling unprepared for their first two classes (although they could certainly change that by doing their study time the night before).
Not everyone dislikes the change. A number of FCHS staff and admin say they believe the new WIN is improving attendance rates.
“I think the new schedule is really improving WIN because now I don’t have as many students skipping the class. A lot of students would come in late or end up skipping it entirely and it always disrupted the environment,” said FCHS math teacher Rachel Newsom.
One staff member is particularly happy with the change. “The number of people skipping has really dropped as a result of switching WIN to later in the day. It’s been a huge improvement,” said Attendance Officer Leigh Haden.
