Starting in the coming school year, each period for the West Chester Area School District High School schedule will be three minutes shorter to make time for an additional “lunch” or “support” period, writes Bill Rettew for the Daily Local News. 

This means both students and staff will get the chance to recharge or create valuable connections with each other. 

This extra period was created with three main priorities in mind. 

“The district recognized a need to provide daily enrichment and intervention opportunities for students, allow students more options for lunch periods, and ensure that all teachers have regular and embedded PLC time for collaborating on best practices in the classrooms,” said the district. 

Superintendent Bob Sokolowski noted that a revision of the high school schedule has long been overdue. With this change, students will get four instead of three lunch periods and they will no longer need to gather in homerooms. 

“We have been attached to a schedule that was reflective of the Industrial Age,” he said. “Students need a schedule that will better serve and support the development of 21st Century skills.” 

Read more about the extra period in the Daily Local News.