Last year, Hinsdale South switched out a long standing system—split periods with 25 minutes for lunch—for a simpler 8 period schedule with 50 minute lunch periods. After a year eating like this, there are certainly some pros and cons, and students who have experienced both schedules have shared mixed opinions.
Likely the most observable difference, and complaint, is the overwhelming crowdedness that came with the adjusted lunch schedule. Previously, the student body was spread across five different periods, but now, it’s been crammed into three, making the cafeteria a quite uncomfortable place. According to a current senior, “fifth period lunch has been consistently overcrowded this year,” and “both [him] and friends of [his] have struggled to find seating inside of the cafeteria, which is a problem that only gets worse when the weather is bad outside.”
While a key issue may have been overlooked in the decision, the change came with a lot of benefits for students, and teachers, as well. The most obvious is the extended break time for students; the lunch periods have almost become a sort of built in study hall for everyone, which they can use to get a jump on homework, take a longer break from their busy day, or of course, cram in some last minute studying. The change also just made navigating the school day much simpler for everyone; the eight identical 50 minute periods just made logical sense, preventing any pre-year confusion for incoming freshmen, and getting rid of the variance between the 50 and 55 minute classes. In addition, teachers used to face issues when trying to administer tests while their classes were awkwardly split between two 25 minute periods with a lunch in between, which only makes sense to get rid of.
At the end of the day, it’s going to be unlikely for South to revert to the old bell schedule. Although it held for many years, the new schedule is much more organized and it would be surprising to see a change for a more complicated school day. With the crowdedness issue, we will have to wait and see how it might be addressed, if it ever will be.
