This past school year, as in countless years before, a typical day at CCHS consisted of eight 45-minute periods, a relatively traditional high school model. However in the fall of 2024 that will change. The length and start time of the school day will remain the same but the period structure during the day will switch to a drop rotation schedule.

In simple terms, the drop schedule consists of two blocks of classes, morning and afternoon, split by a communal lunch midday. Both the morning and afternoon block will have four possible academic periods but only three periods from each block will be held every day. The entire cycle, consisting of days A-H, will continuously rotate which two periods are dropped each day. Thus, eight enrolled classes transition into six working periods per day.

The idea for the drop schedule has been in discussion for several years but the push to make the full transition finally broke through and will be initiated by the start of school this September.

Heading the effort, alongside Principal Kathyrn Wilhelm, is Joseph DeBold, the director of Cornwall’s guidance department. In conversation about why this change was being implemented DeBold said that “Cornwall students in general want more.”

“More” meaning, more classes, more clubs and activities. For years, students have been forsaking their lunch periods and study halls in order to take more classes. The drop schedule’s goal is to allow these students to take their full course loads without forsaking time to eat and take a needed mental break.

As DeBold said, “You can be challenged but in a way that is still conducive to health and wellness.”

With the schedule’s implementation, students would no longer have to choose between advanced coursework and more fun or practical electives. The communal lunch would also bring a slew of potential positives such as fostering a more campus-like environment and allowing for student activities and clubs during lunch. Opportunities would then be opened up for participation in school organizations for athletes and any other students who are typically unable to stay after school.

Many at CCHS feel excited about the prospect of more academic opportunities and the school is already seeing an uptick in enrolled credits from all grades.

Teachers feel that the broader course options will be beneficial and that the schedule will aid students who don’t like to be stuck in the same classes at the same time each day. Several also feel that with the dropped period students will be held more accountable for their work.

However, they have concerns as well.

For math and all sorts of advanced classes many teachers are worried about needing to cover more material each day with possibly less time to review. The question of just how much content can be given to students in a day is one that all instructors are now being forced to contemplate.

Over the summer teachers say they will need to review, possibly combine, and alter their lesson plans to fit the longer periods as well, but most believe that if they adjust properly, an extra eight minutes will be barely noticeable.

Teachers will have increased prep time to mitigate the content being covered issue, DeBold said, going from 376 minutes every 8 days to 660 minutes of prep every eight days.

The main concern of students seems to be centered not around the new periods but rather around the community lunch. With everyone in the student body suddenly being consolidated, worries are being raised about wait time for school lunch, eating areas, and even increased bullying in an overcrowded space.

One student interviewed felt that “unless they [the school] are pumping out so much pre-prepared food, there’s going to be at least a 30 minute wait time to get your food.” Another was worried by rumors that there were “not enough seats” and that the suggestion had been made that the students “should bring their own chairs from home.”

DeBold clarified that "in other schools, students took it upon themselves to bring small chairs they kept in their lockers so they can hang out together".

Administration seems to have plans to address all these lunchtime concerns. With additional food kiosks being planned, eating spaces added in the library, classrooms, and even desk groups in the hallways, the hope is that there will be ample time, space, and food for all.

All these setups and the drop schedule itself have been successful in local districts such as Warwick, Suffern and Rye, at which DeBold and others reported “genuine satisfaction and happiness” among teachers and students who were observed and interviewed.

In preparation for the transition in the fall, Cornwall students were given the chance to speak to panels of peers from some of the aforementioned drop-schedule schools and parent information sessions are being planned for the summer.

“Just like anything else,” DeBold admits, “change is hard.”

When the school year starts the CCHS administration wants to stay in constant conversation with students and teachers, “See what’s working and what’s not.” As the school moves into this new chapter, reworking and flexibility will be key in achieving the desired end result: a more prosperous environment for all students