By Jordan ’24
Harvard-Westlake follows a six-day cycle on the middle school campus, and students have nine periods every day. I know it sounds complicated but maybe this will help. Each core class Xs twice in the six-day cycle, and elective Xs vary. “X” periods means that students do not attend certain classes on certain days. Before the transition to online school, students would “X” each core class once.
This is an example of my day during online school (but it is not fully realistic because I don’t attend all of my classes every day, due to “X” periods):
8:00: My alarm sirens, and I immediately press snooze (which I continue to do for the next 15 minutes.)
8:15: Finally, half asleep, I roll out of bed and throw on my favorite pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.
8:20: I rush to the kitchen to make breakfast which I quickly eat.
8:30 – 9:10: I log on to my first-period class, Introduction to Yearbook and Journalism. In this class, we often brainstorm different ideas/topics for the school yearbook. We try to come up with ways we can make pictures in the yearbook vary (and not have only zoom captures,) which is a very difficult task. Luckily, all the students are very creative and we are finding new ways to take and receive interesting pictures of online school!
Since we are now online, Harvard-Westlake adjusted the schedule for middle school students, creating 10 minutes between each class period, instead of the usual 5 minutes. During these breaks, I tend to grab a snack, stretch, or get a head-start on homework.
9:20 – 10:00: After the ten minute passing period, I join my second-period class, Chinese II. In this class, we go over new sentence structures and vocabulary. Sometimes, we watch videos in Chinese and answer questions about it. We also read various texts written in Chinese and have discussions about them.
10:00-10:30: BREAK! This is a designated time period each day for all middle school students to attend a club meeting, do homework, talk with friends, or meet with teachers.
10:30 – 11:10: I go to my third-period class, Biology. We usually learn new topics and perform labs. Right now, we are learning about Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration.
11:20- 12:00: I join my fourth-period class, English I. During this class, we tend to have discussions about the book we are reading, work on projects, or write essays. Books we have read so far include Fences, Catcher in the Rye, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
12:10 – 12:50: I attend my fifth-period class, Geometry. In this math class, we learn new material and take notes.
1:00 – 1:40: LUNCHTIME!!! (I have lunch during 6th period while other students may have a class scheduled during 6th and have lunch during another period.)
1:50 – 2:40: After eating a delicious lunch, I log on to my seventh-period class, The World and Europe I. During this class period, we often learn about new civilizations and work on strengthening our research skills.
2:40 – 3:20: At this time, I go to my last class of the day, my eighth-period class, Contemporary Dance Workshop II. In this class, we learn new dance combinations, create our own dance pieces, meditate, do yoga, and learn about popular styles of dance/famous dancers.
3:30: I grab another snack and then begin my homework for the day. Since I take dance class, I do not have to take P.E. This is different from what some other ninth-grade students do during ninth-period, because many students have P.E. class. Students who play school sports also do not have to take P.E. However, in this class, the coach screen shares videos of workouts, and students follow along.
