As St. George’s nears the beginning of its winter break, many students are reveling in the fact that we do not have winter exams. While many students of other schools are cramming for finals either right before or right after winter break, because of the trimester system, St. George’s students can spend their break relaxing, knowing that their next exam is far in the future.

St. George’s use of the trimester system instead of the semester system used by most schools in the area was deliberate. The switch from semesters to trimesters came with the addition of School President Mr. Bill Taylor in the summer of 2001. The idea was to implement the trimester system because of the upper school, which Mr. Taylor believed benefitted more from the trimester system than the lower school.

“I had come from a school that used trimesters, and I had gone to a school that used semesters,” said Mr. Taylor. “As a teacher, and now reflecting on my experience as a student, I could see a big difference.”

One of the biggest factors that played into the decision to use trimesters was its inherent aid in notifying students of their academic stance more often. While the semester system only allows for three chances to check grades in time to change them, the trimester system allows for five chances to adjust grades before the year-end report.

“I think it [the trimester system] does provide more transparency through students’ grades for their parents, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing,” said new math teacher Mr. Jimmy Oxsalida. “It gives students more time to check in with their teachers about their grades, and if they are not doing that, then there are these built-in systems throughout the year to make sure they’re being checked in on.”

Mr. Oxsalida recently taught in a school with semesters, though he went to a high school with trimesters. When asked which he preferred, he immediately claimed that trimesters are more effective.

Another reason for the use of the trimester system is its effect on the timeline of exams.

“I can laugh at all my other friends who are studying right before Christmas because I know I don’t have an exam,” said junior Elise Fong.

Fong expressed that the trimester system alleviates stress because the exams are spread out throughout the year, so there is less material on each individual exam.

“I think we were given an opportunity here to create a school based on what we know is great about student learning, and we weren’t tied to tradition,” said Mr. Taylor when asked about why other schools do not use the trimester system. “I think if you are a school that’s been doing semesters for 80 years, it’s a lot harder to make the change to trimesters.”

Though those of St. George’s generally prefer the trimester system, there are merits to the semester system as well.

“There have been a lot of models that use semester programs, and there is a lot of research that argues both sides of the equation,” said Mr. Oxsalida. “Trimesters are more effective for a deeper understanding of the material, while the semesters are more effective for getting through more material, so I definitely side with trimesters.”