WARREN Classes to start later at Harding next year

The school will switch from trimesters to semesters and add double class periods.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Warren G. Harding High School students will begin classes up to an hour and 40 minutes later next school year than they do now because of construction of the adjacent new high school, said William E. Mullane, Harding principal.
Other changes will include a conversion from 12-week trimesters to 18-week semesters and introduction of double class periods (84 minutes) in many junior and senior level courses. Fall semester classes begin Aug. 28.
The construction, for which ground will be broken this spring, will shrink the available high school grounds by more than 50 percent, said Frank Caputo, construction project manager.
The space restriction means that almost all fall outdoor activities will have to be conducted at Mollenkopf Stadium, where artificial turf was installed last year, Mullane said.
The new high school is scheduled to open in fall 2008, followed by demolition of all but the auditorium section of the current high school.
Other changes
The construction also will require changes to the school's traffic flow and parking configurations, he said. "Access to the building is going to be cramped, but we are working out parking for students and staff," he said.
Outdoor band practice will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Classes will begin at 8:50 a.m. and end at 2:20 p.m. for all students.
Currently, freshmen arrive at 7:10 a.m., with upperclassmen arriving at 8:10 a.m. The dismissal time is now 1:30 p.m. for all students.
Another reason for the later start time is that it allows teachers to conduct their meetings and do all their preparation before the six-period academic day begins. Once their preparation time ends, teachers will assist during a 10-minute student arrival time, Mullane said.
Football practice will be immediately after school, followed by soccer practice and soccer games, with stadium lights to be used after dark, Mullane said.
Going to semesters
The conversion from trimesters to semesters is necessary to allow the school to meet state instructional time requirements using the shortened 42-minute class periods, he said. Class period lengths now range from 47 minutes to one hour.
Freshmen and sophomores will take 42-minute classes in all subjects all year, with upperclassmen being scheduled for a more college-like combination of single (42-minute) and double (84-minute) periods, he said.
Mullane said he expects to have next year's Harding course catalog completed in time for a 6:30 p.m. April 26 parents' meeting in the high school auditorium.
He added that he has invited parents to attend faculty planning meetings for next school year.
The school district has embarked on a $153 million construction project that will replace all 13 schools with five new ones by mid-2009. In addition to the new high school, there will be four new kindergarten through eighth-grade buildings, one in each quadrant of the city.