At the same time that Mr. Timothy Gibson became the new Interim Head of St. George’s, students and parents were notified of a change to the exam schedule beginning with this semester’s exams that are set for the week of Dec. 16.

Exam days will begin at 8:30 a.m. and let out at 3:15 p.m.  Lunch will be served during the day. Students that do not have an exam will not be required to come to school. The new structure will feature an exam in the morning, followed by structured study time for students to prepare for their next exam.

Emma Clayton, a member of the St. George’s Student Government, is supportive of the new system.

“I think it’s a good system because it really takes care of everyone’s needs, whether it’s you can’t get a ride or because of a parent’s schedule or your own schedule,” Clayton says, “I think it really accommodates everyone.”

Junior Latimer Stoddard voiced mixed thoughts about the new exam system.

“I don’t really mind it because I feel like, and this is for most other people too, they still only have one [exam] a day,” he said.

However, Stoddard voiced a few concerns about the new system.

“I do kind of wish there could be time in between the exams to where I could go out to get lunch with my friends instead of being trapped,” Stoddard said.

He says he is wary of the process of getting checked out to leave school after an exam.

“I feel like that is going to be a hassle for everyone because a lot of people only have one exam a day and will probably want to get checked out [instead of] staying for the study time,” Stoddard said. “Having to call your parents and having Mrs. Taylor go through everyone, I’m not really sure how they’re going to work it.”

AP Government teacher Emily Metz remarked that the change in schedule is “good and will be an adjustment” for the teachers.

Mrs. Metz said she understood the reasons for the changes.

“I know that it makes it easier for families in terms of pickup, childcare, and all kinds of other things.’’

That said, the new schedule poses new challenges for her.

“It definitely impacts the types of exams that I can give because it’s such a tight turnaround. I can’t give longer writing on an exam,” she said. “I really can’t see myself getting through 100 essays, so it’s going to be more short answers. It’s going to be more multiple-choice driven, more fill-in-the-blank, things that can accurately reflect the learning that my students have done without placing a burden on me to crank through 100 essays in 72 hours.”

However, Mrs. Metz also supported the new schedule because it allows for more teaching time.

“It is great to get back some instructional time and to not have almost two full weeks of exams. Two-a-day will do better to simulate the types of exam situations that students might encounter in college,” Mrs. Metz said.

The new schedule will certainly take some adjusting to for students and teachers alike, and only time will tell if it is ultimately successful.