By April-Joy McCann

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With summer long over and the new school year in action, itís not just about students getting back into routine, but for many, readjusting to all of the school changes. Now in full swing, the new bell schedule, changes in advisories, new assistant principals and counselors, MHS is moving toward meeting both student and teacher needs.

“You don’t make changes just to make changes. There is a philosophy at work and weíre making strategic moves to improve the delivery of service to (the) students,” explained Principal Fred Murphy.

Some of these changes were needed in order to meet requirements of the teachersí new contract. This included a change in bell schedule, beginning the day at 8:00 a.m., shortening class time and ending school at 1:40 p.m. “This was kind of the best of all worlds, it was the best way to meet that contractual need and to meet students’ need,” explained class of 2017 Assistant Principal Andrea Moore.

Additionally, study hall periods were added to the end of each day which require teachers to be in their classroom to assist students who need further help. “I think (study hall) is good because a lot of the problems we had with all the students was to get help from teachers that were never there, so I think that’s a positive change,” said Student Community Council Representative Senior Frances Eves.

Another change made to the school was designating two counselors and two assistant principals to each graduating class. “I think it’s good for the students in the fact that now, itís not as easy to get lost in the shuffle,” said Moore. Having specific counselors and assistant principals allow for better communication and organization within each group. “Now this alignment is going to provide a team that is responsible for a cohort of learners,” said Murphy. Senior Class President Rachel Yonamine added, “I think it makes things a lot more easier for (the counselors) which will eventually make it easier  for us too, because they know what they’re doing.”

With the addition of a senior project advisory, many students, especially seniors, have adapted to these adjustments fairly well. “It’s better to have the senior project advisory and have all the other advisory. They’re all focused on the same thing and they’re all doing the same thing so you have the right help with you and the right support,” Eves

explained. The hope is that by having these types of advisories, MHS would produce more honors graduates. “If somebody is on it and that ready, I think itíd be nice for them to get that done and be a little bit quicker on achieving what theyíre going to (do) next,” explained Moore.

In the end, it is up to each individual student to make the most of these school changes. “I really do think that it is going to pan out for students who are willing to take advantage of it in a good way,” stated Moore. “I hope it just makes everyone’s lives and routines organized and easier,” said Yonamine.

Next year there will be even more changes as there will be another new contract required for the state of Hawaii which includes things such as offering seven periods in a day and having 1650 instructional hours. “Overall I think these are good changes for our school and itís kind of preparing us for next year,” said Eves.

As the school year progresses, MHS will continue to evolve to help better serve the teachers, the students and the community.