Kim Evelti’s 45-minute geometry class was always a challenge to teach. If the math teacher wanted do classroom projects—studying angles on buildings, for example, or forming geometrical shapes out of paper—she had to squeeze in the activity, plus time for discussions and assignments, in less than an hour.
“It was hard for me to even fit that in to a 45-minute period, let alone fit it into the period, come back together, talk about it, write something down in your note book and then try a problem that applies to it,” she said.
So, Evelti, who is also the assistant academic dean for program development at The Williston Northampton School, was said she was excited when asked to head the Daily Schedule Task Force last year. The task force offered an opportunity to look at new models for the academic day, she said.
“I had played with different schedule models for fun,” Evelti said. “I had had some days about longer periods with fewer periods over the day, longer transitions, shorter homework assignments—just different thoughts and crazy ideas.”
Led by Evelti, the task force, a group of nine faculty members from various disciplines, spent the next six months identifying schedule goals, researching other schools, developing models, and gathering feedback from the Williston community.
What would emerge was a series of small, but significant, changes, all designed to give students and faculty better options during the day. Among the changes: a seventh period, standardized 60-minute classes, free periods during the day, and departmental meeting times. The schedule also moved from a four-week to a two-week rotation on a green and blue scheme.
View the new schedule at On the Quad.
Caroline Borden ‘16 was in the hot seat. Her team had finished making their case for why judicial review was an important part of the United State’s constitutional system. Now it was time for a panel to quiz the three girls.