Heights High Students Will Begin 2012-2013 With New Schedule

Sophomores, juniors and seniors at will notice school officials have made few changes to their schedules this year when .

All students at Heights High will be dismissed 23 minutes earlier most weekdays. The day will end at 3:10 p.m. instead of 3:33 p.m. all days except Tuesday, when students will be released at 2:51 p.m. instead of 2:53 p.m., according to information on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District website.

The new schedule will allow students to have more one-on-one time with teachers after school and will give teachers more time to collaborate with one another.

On all days except Tuesday, teachers will hold office hours after school for 20 minutes to meet with students who have questions or need extra help. On Tuesday from 2:55 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., teachers will have an opportunity to collaborate.

The administration also changed the lunch schedule. Students will eat lunch for 31 minutes during periods three through nine, said Angee Shaker, communications director for the district. Periods three through nine are technically 23 minutes long, but they will be combined and classes will actually run over two periods in the new "modular" schedule, she said.

Shaker said the extra lunch periods will reduce traffic in the cafeteria and allow kids to move through the lines more quickly, compensating for the fact that lunch time has been reduced.

Cleveland Heights Teachers Union President Ari Klein first proposed the modular schedule two years ago, according to information on the district website.

“We believe this schedule will help us maintain an orderly instructional environment and provide more time for teacher collaboration,” Klein said.

For check out the bell schedule and for more details, visit the CH-UH website.