Monarchs in Motion Academic Schedule

As introduced for the 2021-2022 school year, the Monarchs in Motion academic schedule was implemented to allow for students to engage in a structured and flexible school day. This research-based schedule allows students more independence, reflecting a collegial level of education.

Rather than our traditional forty-two minute periods, the Monarchs in Motion plan consists of sixty-minute periods which allow students to contribute to in-depth lessons and use their free time wisely. Each day there are four academic periods and one community period. During community period, students are given an hour to go to a teacher, participate in a club, do schoolwork, or socialize with friends. The objective of this period is to allow students to use their time efficiently, as one would in college. 

The new plan also consists of an eight-day rotating schedule where each class begins at a different time each letter day. This is convenient for student-athletes who miss the last period of the day for competition because with the new schedule, they are not missing the same class each time they are required to leave early. At the end of the eight-day rotation, there is a day that every student has all their class periods in a day, like our traditional schedule two years ago. 

When I asked Jenna Mangan, a senior who experienced the forty-two-minute periods in previous years, whether she enjoys the Monarch in Motion plan, she expressed, “The new schedule keeps the day interesting and students are able to engage in their environment while getting their work done in class.” 

Overall, teachers believe it is efficient to have longer periods to allow more time to educate their students. Others also expressed favor towards the community period that occurs every day because it is a great opportunity to get work done and to participate in clubs. Altogether, the majority of students and teachers emphasize they enjoy the execution of the new Monarch in Motion plan.