Proposed changes at NHS will close all open lunches for students after the class of 2026. According to the proposal, for the 2023-24 school year, sophomores and freshmen will have closed lunches and in two years all students will have closed lunches.
Principal Blake Smith said almost a third of referrals come during the lunch period with students taking an extra lunch – or some not even returning at all. Smith hopes that by keeping students focused and on-campus, referrals will drop and attendance will rise.
“I don’t think that closed lunches are a good idea. I feel as if us freshmen and all the grades below us should be able to have the same opportunities as every other grade did,” freshman Amiyah Beard said.
“I feel like it’s unfair to us and the grades below us because everyone else has been able to go out to eat, and we’re not given that freedom,” freshman Hope Ewy said.
Not only were rising tardies and absences an issue, students’ usage of their seminar time also presented a problem. Many students complain about seminar and do not see the purpose of it.
“Most of my class use seminar as a social hour. Not many people that I know actually use it as time to work on homework and actually get things done,” freshman Ashley McMullin said. “I think it might almost be taken advantage of because some people get into more trouble during seminar than doing actual work.”
Administration created the new schedule to address this complaint by moving seminar into the middle of the day, so students get more of a sense that seminar is “your time” rather than a state requirement.
“We are looking for ways to make seminar more beneficial for students and staff. Right now, students are only able to visit one teacher during seminar,” Smith said. “This schedule would allow students to visit all of their teachers, while also working on time management and self-motivation skills. We are hoping to empower students and allow them to take ownership of their education even more.”
‘Railer Time’ will be very similar to seminar now, according to Smith, the differences will be the time of day, the length, and the flexibility. Students will have more freedom during ‘Railer Time,’ though there will be accountability for where they go
“With having seminar in the middle of the day, students will be able to travel easier and will be able to accomplish more. Seminar being in the middle of the day is good because it gives students a low-stress time to recuperate and get ready for the rest of their classes for the day,” sophomore Niko Ramos said.