Last year, as a way to help transition students from the online school back to the in-person school year, Administration implemented Wildcat Wednesdays, a day when teachers were not allowed to teach new content. Instead, it provided time for students and teachers to review, catch up on assignments and prepare themselves for future assessments.

In this paper, we often criticize Administration’s actions, but I have to give them their flowers for that decision. That decision allowed for getting more done on regular days and on Wildcat Wednesday, you could relax, revise and sometimes teachers would assign optional practice. I found that so helpful because I always felt more prepared for assessments. During that period, even teachers would be able to catch up on their work and planning. Wildcat Wednesdays benefited everybody.

This year, the admin decided we don’t need it anymore. Instead of the seven-period Wildcat Wednesday, we would have one department do a wellness period on Wednesday. The first week there was no wellness period. The second week was the math department’s turn. Then, English, social studies, world languages, music/art and the last week of the quarter were all the other electives.

Students who don’t take social studies, science, art and tech (many of whom are seniors) would then only have two periods of wellness over the time of a quarter. Some students, especially upperclassmen, have multiple classes in science and social studies, which means that on one day a student can have three classes of wellness and then never again that quarter.

Due to those issues, the last time I had a wellness period was over six weeks ago, which is particularly unfair considering most people needed wellness at the end of the quarter. And while the expansion of lunch by 10 minutes was supposed to serve as wellness time, the expanded lunch mostly ends up being time for make-ups, retakes and eating lunch.

A small change that would make a big effect is restructuring–not having the core subjects all after each other. This way there would be a bigger spread between the different wellness periods because not all of the seniors, and general students as well, take world languages, music, art, science and even social studies.

Last year, Wildcat Wednesday was successful because the whole school was doing it on the same day; students then held teachers accountable to hold the period as wellness time. But now you barely hear the word anymore because no one remembers the department rotation schedule, including teachers, so having the actual once-in-a-week wellness period is way less likely.

The current Wildcat Wednesdays need to change and be replaced by the old Wildcat Wednesdays. The decision is between a system that everyone in the building enjoyed and made good use of or a system that no one feels the effects of.