Beginning this school year, Rock Ridge allows students to attend club meetings during school hours every Friday. From 10:51 a.m. to 11:21 a.m., there are a variety of club meetings with specified rooms to choose from, or if a student prefers, they can go to one of the designated “quiet spaces,” where they can hang out until it’s time for second block. Although these activity blocks are every Friday, there are implemented “Red Days” and “Gray Days” that have two different sets of clubs, due to the sheer amount that are offered. 

Some students say this addition is an improvement to student life, as it makes it easier for students to be able to make it to meetings in the first place. “I think it was a good idea, just because if it was after school, there’d be a lot of conflicts and people usually can’t make all the meetings,” senior Greeshma Yadlapalli said. “Since it’s during school, it’s a lot more flexible and [easy].” 

While this option is better for those with scheduling conflicts, it also helps those who simply aren’t able to come to school early or stay late due to the lack of transportation. Most buses only arrive at school after 9:00 am and all buses leave 10-15 minutes after school ends at 4:18 pm, which unfortunately wouldn’t give groups enough time to have a proper discussion, let alone a full meeting. Whether they can’t drive themselves to school or they don’t have a ride, activity blocks appear to be the better option for these students.

Others preferred the old schedule, where clubs would decide what time to meet themselves, whether it be before or after school hours. “Honestly, I prefer the old system because, to me, it seemed like you had more time in the clubs, it wouldn’t affect school in any way unless there’s something to be done during school,” senior Colin Farley said. 

Farley is a student at the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA), meaning that he attends Rock Ridge every other day, and for him specifically, on A-days. This brings up a new issue for all students who attend one of the Academies of Loudoun, as they are only able to attend a club that gets together on the day they are at Rock Ridge, whether that be a Red Day or Gray Day club. “When I am here, it’s weird to me. I’m not sure what the schedule is, how Gray Days [and] Red Days work, the alternation because, quite literally, I’m here half the time depending on what kind of week it is,” Farley said.

As this schedule change was likely added to make the joining of clubs more accessible to students, it seems that a mix of the new system and old system would be best depending on what the group is about. If a club is working towards something, such as a competition, it would be best if the members  did a check-up during the allotted time on Fridays and also set up some meetings outside of school. This would also be more beneficial for students who attend the Academies of Loudoun, as they could catch up with their club outside of school and wouldn’t miss too much during the Friday meetings. However, if their goal is simply to have fun, activity block gives them time to do that while giving them a break from their normal school routines. 

Overall, this schedule change was a good addition for the school climate, a productive time that also acts as a destresser after a long week.