Spring term at Kent School kicked in with a bit of a surprise for everyone as the many students didn’t anticipate a change of schedule in the middle of a school year. The idea of bringing back “8 am classes” (actually, 8:30….) caused a wave of displeasure amongst the student crowd. However, after a month of adaptation, students seemed to gradually prefer the more balanced schedule to the previous one. 

Aiming to create a balance between the residential, academic, and religious aspects of Kent, the new schedule removed the notion of varied class lengths of 45 and 90 minutes, and instead incorporated a 55-minute schedule that seeks to improve class quality. Chapel was moved from first thing in the morning to after the first block at 9:35 am, and conference block and community time now happen at 1:05 pm instead of immediately following chapel. “I think the change will incorporate a more balanced idea of how students would live their day. Often students actually sleep late because they don’t have class in the morning, and the first block was already relatively late at 10. With this schedule, I think it would also improve the sleeping of students as well,” said Dr. MacNeil, Academic Dean. The ability to utilize a mid-afternoon break is also perceived positively amongst students, as they can take a nap, visit a teacher for a conference, or just temporarily chill out before their last class of the day. 

Dr. MacNeil has also been attentive to  how students feel about the schedule, and is planning to conduct a school-wide survey, with the central question being: Are you enjoying your life under the current schedule? “For me, it is important that the schedule makes sense, so I am looking forward to hearing what the students think about it,” said Dr. MacNeil. When asked about how the schedule is going to be next year,  Dr. Mac Neil said that there would not be “big changes” and he seeks to “preserve the central architecture” of the schedule right now. However, he will make changes accordingly if people feel really strongly about a certain aspect of the schedule.