There are some things in the world that are left vaguely unknown or seemingly misunderstood and without clear distinction; these unknowns can either be the keystone to our success, or the reason for our downfall.

For Collegedale Academy, a vast current of changes has swept across the campus in the 2013-2014 school year, and the main impact, good or bad, has fallen mainly upon the Senior class.  New security measures, technology, and schedule “improvements” have been made to enhance the learning experiences of the students, but so much change in one bite has evidently taken a toll on its participants.

“I believe that all of these changes should have been brought in at different times, and maybe the stress level would not be so high,” senior Madison Wing said.

Now, with jobs and a plethora of other responsibilities such as graduation and college plans, making sure current academic careers stay in order is of great importance to the seniors.  There is little time to unwind and enjoy the last months with their classmates if seniors are being swamped with homework.

“The new academic schedule has been really awesome  in some ways, but in others I have had real difficulty. Every Tuesday and Thursday I had gymnastics at 4:30 until 6:30, then I would have to go home and have tons of homework due the next day. I’ve found it difficult when trying to balance family time with my academic career” senior Abigail Hunt said.

On the flip side, the new schedule has made it easier to sit still in class due to a shorter period, the issue arising from this though is not enough time in class to accomplish tasks such as challenging tests or projects.

Saying all of this reminds us all of the difficulty that change brings when brought amongst many different people. The administration has good intentions for the school system by making these changes, but a closer look may be required if they are to more fully understand what the students are dealing with.

After all, comfortable learning conditions for students should be at the top of every administrator’s list, and the student voice can be heard if they decide to speak loud enough.