Throughout the last school year, students have struggled to perform two important tasks: memorizing and predicting their classes. Students often relied heavily on the use of the mini-schedule on their IDs, unable to navigate Upper School life effectively without it.
Additionally, students often found parts of the schedule preceding lunch especially repetitive and tiring.
The advance of this school year has brought a plethora of new changes in the Upper School. Among these are the refreshed House spaces, new faculty and, of course, the newly revised cell phone policy.
The administration team, led by Head of Upper School Mr. Dave Samson, has proposed and implemented a new change this year. This change has shattered several unpopular precedents in the very document that keeps the entire school organized and running—the school schedule.
Mr. Samson first envisioned a schedule change last year, after hearing from students and faculty alike about several issues with this system of order.
“Some of the challenges I heard from teachers and students last year regarding the schedule included the unpredictability of the period order, the fixed H period, and Community Time programming late in the day when everyone is hungry,” Mr. Samson wrote in a letter, prefacing the upcoming school year. “Several teachers from the Middle and Upper School met and developed a revised academic schedule for the 2025-26 school year, addressing these concerns.”
The implementation of this new school schedule addresses all of these concerns. Highlights of this new schedule include an alphabetical flow of periods each day, an unfixed Period H and a Community Time that occurs at times before and after Break. Intentionally, the administration preserved some parts of the schedule that were not causing issues, such as the number and length of classes.
The changes brought on by this new school schedule will be overwhelmingly beneficial for both students and teachers alike.
Now organized by alphabetical order, this new schedule provides a logical and structured flow of classes. This schedule’s new structure can serve many practical benefits among students and teachers, including easier memorization and more predictable class foresight.
Additionally, the fixed Period H before Lunch has long been a source of ambivalent feelings. Although a few, especially those free during Period H, enjoyed the period’s fixed position, a large majority treated it as a burden. A more flexible H period enables students to attend different classes before lunch, reducing redundancy and enhancing class interest.
Lastly, having Community Time earlier in the day is especially accommodating for concerns about student hunger and a lack of energy, both of which were common in the past when Community Time was right before lunch. Students are now more likely to engage effectively in Community Time, thus enhancing its role in the Upper School..
In comparison to the previous schedule, this new schedule is promising in its design. However, the potential of this new schedule will only become clear once both students and faculty begin to adapt to this new rhythm.
It is essential to note that this schedule represents a significant shift at Germantown Academy, with both positive and negative impacts. Negative impacts and challenges should not be considered failures. Rather, they should be considered pain points within the community that must be addressed.
These pain points are just the foundation for progress. By listening, adapting and iterating, GA can transform this schedule into something even more empowering for students. Progress, after all, begins with a willingness to evolve.