Bellarmine has determined that 8 a.m. starts would be the best fit for the 2020 online school year. This is a very controversial decision throughout the student body. On one end of the spectrum the students will receive an extra 20 minutes per period to match the duration of class time when school was on campus. On the other side this means they must wake up an hour earlier because school hours are the beloved 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. instead of 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. like last spring.

With an expanded class time this will allow students to get more work done as well as give teachers the opportunity to teach a little more if the 60 minutes last year was just not enough. My mother said, “The 80 minutes gives you more time to work and be with the teacher.” This may be true, but it’s not what is exactly wanted by students.

If there is no Zoom for a specific class but there is some in class work, then this expanded period will give more time to students who like to work within class hours as to not put off the work and stress out in the future. From a school-lover’s or teacher’s perspective, 80 minute classes will probably be a blessing.

From the opposing point of view of a typical high school student having to wake up an hour earlier for the sole purpose of sitting in each class for 20 minutes longer is not a blessing in the slightest, especially for the seniors.

Senior Cooper Clarke said, “This was the year to have fun and enjoy the final moments on campus with all the sports and memories to be made, but now we have to wake up at regular hours to just sit in a single chair for half the day instead of taking advantage of our final moments at Bellarmine.”

Kevin Coleman, also a senior,  said, “I really just don’t want to get up an hour earlier. This sucks. I really wish they kept it how it was last year for that worked out fine.”

Although school hours are back to normal, there is something very different about being at home and not on site, and it is not a good difference.