High school moves to semester schedule

Sisters High School students will have more freedom to tackle elective courses, spend time on internships or pursue other options under the semester schedule beginning this fall.

Those are the benefits of moving to semesters from the previous trimester setup, said school district Superintendent Curt Scholl.

For example, he said students will be able to take a year-long series of science or art courses without missing sections, as happened under the trimester plan.

"There is no perfect schedule," Scholl said, "but there is more continuity of classes with semesters."

The superintendent said some students and parents have expressed concerns over the new schedule, but Scholl anticipates it will all be running smoothly soon.

Some parents with children in both high school and middle school were apprehensive that the two schedules might not coordinate smoothly, but district officials don't believe that's going to happen. The middle school is sticking with a trimester schedule.

Sisters High School Principal Joe Hosang agreed the new approach provides more continuity of courses.

"When we had a five-period day on the trimester schedule it was hard for students to take band all year," he said. "Now there is a higher probability of taking band all year."

Before school opened, Hosang addressed the change in a written memo to community members. He noted that a seventh period has caused confusion.

"We fully anticipate we will utilize the seventh period to provide additional opportunities for our students such as helping them create a résumé, SAT/ACT preparation, ASPIRE time, internships or helping students with college applications are just some of the ideas we are working on," he wrote. "I am confident that by the second week of school we will have our rhythm."

Sisters Middle School, which has fifth-graders through eighth-graders, is keeping its trimester schedule because that works better for students of that age, Scholl said.

For one thing, younger children have shorter attention spans, which is accommodated in the trimester setup, he said. The difference in schedule reflects what Scholl said are different academic needs.

"It's all part of a puzzle," he said, meaning such things as lesson-preparation time for teachers and other non-class factors must be accounted for.

Sisters Middle School Principal Marshall Jackson said the semester system was considered for that school.

"We looked at various options," he said, "but the trimester schedule meets the needs of our kids."

One issue at the high school under the trimester setup was that some students finished their state-required courses by the end of their junior year, and didn't enroll for their senior year. That presented a financial problem, because school districts are funded by the state based on enrollment. The same issue isn't present at middle school because those students' promotion to a higher grade isn't based on required credits.

Trimester also offers the middle school students a chance to experiment with classes that sound interesting.

"Middle-schoolers are trying to find out who they are," Jackson said. "They want to sample different things."

Classes began this week throughout the district. Schools will be closed Monday, September 5, in observance of Labor Day.