BHS is opening up more early-bird classes for students to take bright and early in the morning. One of the reasons that more classes are becoming available is because of employment outside of school which can put students on tight schedules. Taking an early bird class opens up more free periods – this route can be rewarding for students who need more time for things outside of school.
“I think they’re trying to help kids close up some schedules, they also know that with the time change in the bussing, it’s been harder for kids to get to and from work, especially with the blast program. We have a lot of students who work there, and a lot of them are required in the eighth period off. And so it’s just a way to get more flexibility, you know, and just kind of align to whatever the kids are doing,” Counselor Kali Swenson said. Knocking a class out of the way seems to be beneficial for a lot of students.
“There’s a couple of different ways you can start your day earlier and end earlier, or you can get yourself an extra class. Some kids are doing a lot of dual credit or trying to get as many college credits as possible, and if they’re in music classes, that might be a way to get something out of the way earlier on.” Assistant Principal Lynette Johnson said. “I know that Career Academy offers some of those early bird one classes as well.” Early bird classes seem to be intended for the students who are responsible enough to wake up early.
“They have to know their schedule, and know logistically if they could make it work,” Swenson said. “They have to know themselves as a student to see if there’s a good opportunity. If they’ve been seeking time to try and start their classes early anyway, it’d be a great opportunity.”
These classes are designed for those disciplined enough to be on time every day.
“If you’re signing up for early bird you need to be here for it. We’ve had kids go to credit loss. You have to get to the early bird, and it’s hard because it is an hour earlier than everybody else has to be here. But if you want the, I guess, privilege of being able to get out of school early, you have to take that responsibility seriously,” Johnson said.
Not every teacher can or is willing to teach an early bird class for personal reasons.
“It is an extension of their contract and so they have to be willing to come in and do it,” Swenson said.
Not only do students have to wake up early, teachers have to wake up even earlier.
“You have to have a teacher willing to do it and be here at 7:15 in the morning to get things going. It is a commitment to be here that early – it’s a whole hour before everybody else starts school. But if you’re dedicated, if you’re an early riser, it might be a class that you want to look into freeing up some more time during your day,” Johnson said.