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Principal's Corner: IRHS Highlights from Last Week   

from the desk of Principal Szolowicz

The beginning of February, which has come extraordinarily fast, brings some new developments and accomplishments in our caring, comprehensive and world-class community:

• School Psychologist Bernice Maxwell is giving a "poster presentation" at the National School Psychologists Association's national convention regarding research she has conducted on assessing the benefits of assistive technology.
• Seven IRHS math teachers; Glenn Linton, Nicole Blanchard, Ken George, Tatiana Horowitz, Debbie Nugent, Kathy Spenser, and Kelsey Stark; attended the Math Educator's Appreciation Day at the University of Arizona's Center for Recruitment and Retention of Math Teachers. This annual appreciation day provides professional workshops regarding best and next practices in math education.
• IRHS Drama is performing Shakespeare's Othello this Thursday and Friday, February 7 and 8, 7:00 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Tickets are available at the door.
• Work on revising the bell schedule is nearing completion. Input given at the beginning of the school year faculty interviews showed a clear faculty desire to re-examine our bell schedule. Several faculty members formed a committee and examined the issue including research and other school's examples. I sought input from both the Student Council and Site Council; in both groups, there was a clear mandate to keep conference period and mixed responses regarding the "block" days. Incorporating all of the input, IRHS teacher Paul DesJarlais created two new bell schedules. These bell schedules, along with our current schedule, were discussed by the faculty at the last early-out. This discussion allowed a review of the parameters affecting our schedules and allowed faculty members to share different perspectives regarding which was best for teaching and learning at IRHS. A faculty survey, designed by IRHS teacher Glenda Arffa, was also conducted. Here are the basic results:  

• 13 faculty members wanted to keep our current schedule
• 39 want to change to a "no-block" schedule in which each class meets for about an hour each day. Classes are slightly shorter on the two conference period days.
• 29 want to change to a "rotating" block schedule in which block periods are shorter but rotate

The faculty results are roughly parallel with the student input received from the student council where 10 students voted to keep our current schedule, 17 students voted for a "no block" schedule, 4 voted for the "rotating block" schedule.

The Bell Schedule Committee and I met on Tuesday morning to discuss the results. I believe I speak for the committee in saying that we believe there is a clear mandate to change the current two-hour block periods. Personally, I am fine with changing to the no-block schedule. However, about an equal number of faculty support no-block and some sort of block. I'm hoping that a little more conversation on this issue might produce a new compromise, idea or breakthrough that could lead to a bell schedule a majority can more enthusiastically support.

Since the rotating block schedule has some other inherent design problems, some of which I shared with the faculty at our last early-out, I proposed a blue and silver week idea as another means to reduce the number of block days while recognizing that some programs can really use the time. In this model, we would have alternating block (blue week) and no-block (silver week) weeks. Additionally, there is another idea where all classes would meet on each block day, but some classes would meet for an hour and fifteen minutes while others would meet for forty-five minutes. The classes would alternate each block day.

Also, we're considering moving conference to Wednesday and Thursday; having conference closer to the due dates that typically occur at the end of the week might encourage more utilization of the time.

Paul DesJarlais is creating schedules based on these ideas. I will say, however, that initially both of these ideas for block modifications seem to have structural problems similar to those in the "rotating block" schedule that might preclude their use.

While no final decision has been made yet, my thinking is moving strongly toward adopting the "no block" schedule where all classes meet all days of the week for about an hour each day.

Further insight or perspective can be shared with me. The Bell Schedule Committee will also have at least one more meeting before a final decision is made.

Enjoy the warm weather!