Four Period Day

At the Board's meeting on the 27th, there were a number of questions related to the possible change from a four-period day at OHS.  The proposal before the board does not recommend such a change be made for the coming year.  However, our ability to maintain a four-period day in the years to come will continue to be evaluated.  Based upon the comments received from those in attendance, the four-period day has become quite popular.  That wasn't always the case.  When OHS changed from a six period day to the current four period day in the mid 90's, there were a considerable number of people upset by that decision.  Disciplines such as math and foreign language were concerned about the ability of students to get courses in proper sequence such as Algebra I and Algebra II without skipping a semester.  But disciplines such as science and industrial tech were supporters because they had sufficient time to properly set up lab experiences.  Eventually, the schedule was modified to accommodate and address most of those concerns.  Today, we do not have a 'pure' four-period day.  It's been modified through the use of 'skinnies' to make it possible for students to have multiple opportunities for participating in our music program but we still have some challenges for students involved in courses that are sequential in nature. 

No decision has been made regarding the number of periods that will shape the student day at OHS after this year.  Schools across the state are moving away from the four-period day because it is not an efficient use of teachers' time.  They have made modifications in their schedules to accommodate their unique needs.  Looking ahead, we will do the same.