Come the 2016-2017 school year, Cathedral Catholic High School students will no longer rush off to seventh period at the end of the school day. The CCHS administration hopes a schedule change will eliminate the problem of missing the last class of the day multiple times for athletics, medical appointments or other reasons.

The CCHS administration made the collective decision to reconfigure the class schedule in order to move seventh period from its current placement at the end of the school day to the beginning of the day.

“We’re working on the schedule right now, so the rough draft has period one, then a 10 minute passing period, and then we’ll go into seventh period,” Assistant Principal of Faculty and Student Services Ms. Margaret Mauro said. “Then we’ll have a break, and then the next class, and then lunch and then the last class.”

Besides moving seventh period to after the first block, other notable changes in the class schedule include a ten minute passing period in between the first block and seventh period, lunch scheduled at 12:15 p.m. and a dismissal time of 2:20 p.m.

“Now, you’re asking students to go to three classes before lunch and then only one class after lunch, so we’ll see how it goes,” Ms. Mauro said. “And if things aren’t going well, we’ll have to reevaluate.”

Amid concerns about the new class schedule, some students have expressed doubt over the changes.

“It makes it more complicated to memorize two new schedules, and it will make it harder to have lunch so late,” Tiffany Bisharat ‘18 said. “For me, I get hungry during first period. I feel like there won’t be enough time to buy food and eat it in between classes.”

While the 10 minute passing period after first block will assume the place of the 15 minute morning break, the 15 minute break has simply been moved to between seventh period and the second block.

“I can see how changing seventh period would be helpful for people who do sports, but since I don’t do sports here at school, the changes just seem awkward to place seventh period in the morning as opposed to where it is now,” Annelise Gazale ‘18 said. “In my opinion, I simply don’t like change.”

Despite the uncertainty of next school-year’s class schedule, seventh period was ultimately changed because of concerns from students and teachers. The Academic Committee, which comprises all of the CCHS department chairs, was prompted to evaluate the best way to incorporate seven class periods into CCHS’ class schedule.

“The big difference, for me, is the timing of the classes,” Ms. Mauro said. “Now things are going to be different with the Monday schedule.”

Opposed to the Tuesday through Friday schedule, the Monday class times will be adjusted. The school day will end at 1:15 p.m. instead of where the current Monday schedule ends at 1:20 p.m.

As with any change, Dons cannot know what to fully expect until they brave the changes for themselves come August.