Hey NHS! What Do You Think About the New Semester?
Ella Zubec /  Sat, 19 Mar 2022

Almost two months into the second semester, students at NHS have had plenty of time to adapt to this new system. Instead of the alternated semestered system that OCDSB was previously using, students have returned to four classes a day which is the way high school ran before the pandemic. But is it a change that NHS students agree with?


“I think it’s more stressful,” said Julianne, our grade nine representative. She noted the increase in workload, which coincided with the decrease in class time to work on assignments. “A lot of my friends have had to quit sports after school.”


For most students, balancing academics, familial responsibilities, sports, music, and other hobbies is a struggle, but with the new semester, Julianne explained how it has all been amplified. A grade eleven student, Rebecca, preferred the first semester as well. She appreciated the week off between studying each subject.


Even though some students prefer the former way, a lot of students find this semester more enjoyable:


“There is twice as much work to do, but the due dates are a lot more manageable,” said Lauren (Grade 10). Like many other people, I agree with Lauren. I find that my learning has slowed down, making it easier to balance all of my subjects.


“I like this semester a lot more because we have four periods a day, and they’re really short.” said Jack Mandel (Grade 9). Jack makes a great point; personally, the shorter periods have benefited me immensely. While studying four subjects at a time, I can concentrate more easily during both lessons and independent work. My learning has been a lot less stressful, and overall, more enjoyable since this new semester.


By the end of the school year, it will be a year since secondary students used the quadmester system. This is the model of learning secondary students followed last year in which they studied only two subjects at a time. Students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve all have differing opinions on this as well; some people liked it, while others didn’t.


“Quadmesters were awful, my attention span did not exist.” Lauren told me.


Well, there you have it! I hope this has given you a little glimpse at what NHS students think about this new change. I wish you a happy rest of the school year!