Fluvanna County High School’s new “Fluco WIN” study period is the talk among teachers and students. But is Fluco WIN really a win?

Some students are saying the 30-minute period at the start of the school day is a bad idea and plan on skipping it daily. Others say they enjoy the extra studying time it provides as it is ultimately intended to help students manage their work better. This extra study period was intended to give students time for studying, homework, and getting missing assignments done.

“It’s really useful when teachers let us use it to study for upcoming tests and quizzes,” said FCHS sophomore Maddy Hamel.

Taking away extra minutes from classes in order to provide enough time for Fluco WIN can also make sitting through the shorter classes easier. Instead of being the 93 minutes they have been in recent years, class lengths are now the following: 76 minutes for 1st, 81 minutes each for 2nd and 4th, and 117 minutes for 3rd block (to accommodate for four lunches).

However, it appears that Fluco WIN time has some downsides. Some students say they dislike Fluco WIN and wish Administration hadn’t changed the schedule.

“I think it’s pointless and school should just end 30 minutes earlier so that I can do my work at home,” said FCHS sophomore Molly Cook.

While Fluco WIN is intended as a study period to get caught up, some students say they aren’t able to use it for that.

“I don’t like it because some of my teachers try to use it as extra teaching time,” Cook said. “Changing the class everyday makes my schedule confusing,” she added.

Students may have a hard time adjusting to a new school year, so some feel that having a different place to go to the start of each day of the week can throw things off. For example, Monday Fluco WIN is 1st block, Tuesdays are 2nd block, Thursdays are 3rd block, and Fridays are 4th block. Wednesdays are ultimately intended to be used as club periods, but since clubs may not start until October, the Fluco WIN schedule for Wednesdays is the following for now:

9/6 1st block

9/13 2nd block

9/20 3rd block

9/27 4th block

Still, some teachers think the new study period is a good idea because it doesn’t take away from their own instructional time. “I am really enjoying Fluco WIN time because it allows me to work with students who need extra support while not having to sacrifice instruction time,” said math teacher Rachel Newsom. “I have also been using Fluco WIN to spiral back on previous skills and not worry that those students will fall behind in class,” she added.

Freshmen in FCHS are still adjusting to the ways of high school, so it may not be surprising that some freshmen have strong opinions towards Fluco WIN. “I think it’s a waste of time and we should have a regular home room instead,” said freshman Blaire Marshall, adding, “it makes the day go by slower.”

Finally, those who dislike the new schedule argue that changing the class you go to everyday can affect the whole feel of the day. “I think students are gonna skip more and come to school late,” Marshall said.