At the beginning of this school year, Killough changed its lunch schedule to include one less advisory period. After the initial first three weeks of school, which included advisory each lunch block, the ninth and 10th grade campus started its new lunch plan with block lunch every day except Monday.

“[I’m excited] because we have a lot of freedom and we can do things we want to do,” sophomore Alyssa Garza said. “[I look forward] to having extra time to study on work and having extra time to hang out with friends.”

Students will have extra time to visit clubs as a result of this change. With four block days, students are able to go to clubs they wanted to go to before but couldn’t get a chance to because of scheduling issues.

“I feel like the clubs and the groups are not utilized enough,” fashion and interior design teacher Valerie Nite said. “I don’t like to see students sitting alone or hiding in the corner just to get through an hour of lunch so I would love to see block lunch [used] as a time where people really get to meet each other.”

Following the change, this year’s sophomores had to become accustomed to the new environment. Students now have the availability to choose what they want to do and invest time in things they actually enjoy.

“I think it gives them structure,” Nite said. “It gives them ideas of what they’re interested [in] or easy ways to explore things they might like that they wouldn’t otherwise get. I advise you guys to get involved, find a common interest through a club.”

Grades were a defining reason to why the administration added a fourth day. Students now have a better opportunity to stay on top with their work and keep up with their grades. The teachers had a major influence in what the focus group, which consisted of the assistant principals and three teachers, decided on.

“[The change] actually happened because we wanted to give students an extra day of tutoring,” principal Kyndra Tyler said. “[We took out the day], but then teachers were saying they were getting behind on some of their tutorials so they wanted to add in an extra day.”

The teachers and staff want all students to stay productive and involved in the school. They hope the allowance of time during block lunch will improve the quality of learning and club attendance.

“[I’m excited] to see the majority of students in tutorials and I hope to their grades go up,” Tyler said. “I would rather see them in a club instead of in the hallway doing nothing and getting in trouble. So yes, join a club, you gotta get involved.”