Beginning just a few weeks into the third quarter at Oxford High School, the administration began what is called a “flex schedule.”

Flex schedule is relatively simple at face-value, with all classes being three minutes shorter than they usually are, culminating in a 27-minute “flex” period where students can meet with pre-assigned teachers to study, make up work, or receive extra instructional time.

It took me a while to become accustomed to the new schedule, and to be quite honest, the change of pace is still not second nature for me. There are times where I wander the halls and forget where I am supposed to go after second period.

With all of this being said, I still support the flex schedule. I think it provides students with a form of study hall or tutoring that most of the student body did not previously have.

With any new system, however, there are flaws. Senior Logan Surber pointed out that those students that go to The Tech during third and fourth periods are at a disadvantage.

“If you have third and fourth period B&I, you don’t really have a flex, so it is really just shorter classes and I get out later,” Surber said.

The flex schedule has even sparked up some conversation about lunch activities that are not exactly “school sanctioned.” An OHS junior, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that some students use off-campus activities in conjunction with the new flex schedule to get lunch outside of school.

“The schedule helps me to be able to get Wendy’s during lunch,” said the junior.

All of the extracurricular shenanigans aside, the flex schedule provides students with an opportunity to be even more productive in their academic coursework.  So why not take advantage of the extra time and get some work done?