By Avery Maier, ’13, Contributor
For the second semester, the MS implemented a new bell change that puts the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders on the same schedule. Previously, the fifth- and sixth-graders’ schedule was a few minutes off from the seventh- and eighth-graders’ schedules. Those few minutes have made a big difference: They have led to overcrowding and noise, and not necessarily a more united MS.
“The sixth and fifth graders were new to the Middle School, so in advisory, they were given a little more time so that the advisors could help to prepare them for what was ahead that day,” said Mr. John Polasko, Middle School Division Head. This was one of the reasons the fifth and sixth graders were on a different bell change the first semester.
The previous MS schedule included a different lunch and break, which didn’t allow for much interaction between the two older grades and the two younger grades.
Mr. Polasko said, “We had a middle school that felt like two different schools. The two younger grades wanted to be a part of the Middle School.”
The bell change has resulted in all the grades’ going to lunch at the same time. Some feel this has produced a crowded lunchroom, with the Sage Dining staff having to work harder.
Ms. Donna Fischer, Director of Food Service, said that “not a lot of problems have come up. It’s just something different. You just have to adapt to it.”
Some rule changes have been implemented to help the Sage Dining staff during the busy lunchtime. If students go to get seconds, they must take their plates because they are allowed only one plate at a time.
Ms. Fischer believes that conditions have improved since the bell change was implemented. “I think that it is working better now that the students are helping with cleanup at the end of the lunch period. We have all been working together, which has helped a lot more.”
“I can see [the bell change as] being beneficial, but I don’t know how well it is working at unifying the Middle School,” said Mr. Rob Houk, Executive Chef. “The older middle schoolers, when the upper schoolers come in, seem to socialize with them more than they do with the younger middle schoolers.
“It is like a train wreck sometimes. It makes it a little difficult to keep everything filled, such as the bars,” said Mr. Houk. “It’s where the skills come into play,” he added with a grin.
Mr. Polasko and Mr. Casey Schnieber, sixth-grade science teacher and Team Leader, also help with lunch cleanup. “Mr. Schnieber and I will take up cups so they don’t pile up,” said Mr. Polasko.
Mr. Polasko said he isn’t “eager to make their lives difficult. I’m doing what I can to make this work.”
Apurva Bhattacharjee, ’15, said, “Personally, I don’t like the bell change because it gets really crowded at lunch and break, so there isn’t a lot of room at break like there used to be.”
Bhattacharjee believes that the bell change hasn’t really achieved the goal of uniting the MS. “It’s stayed pretty much the same: seventh graders hang around with other seventh graders, sixth graders hang around with other sixth graders, and so on.”
Mr. Polasko points out that the bell change allows teachers that teach the fifth and sixth grades to interact with the seventh- and eighth-grade athletes they coach. “Brady Brant and Casey Schnieber teach the fifth and sixth graders, but they also coach. They couldn’t see the athletes during the day to remind them of a game or something. That is one of the benefits of Country Day; your coaches are your teachers, and you get to interact during school.”
Some people have the misconception that the middle schoolers are forced to leave the lunchroom at 12:35, not allowing them enough time to eat because of the long lines and crowded tables. “We don’t kick the middle schoolers out [of the lunchroom]. Although we dismiss students at 12:35, they are welcome to stay longer,” said Mr. Polasko.
Many middle schoolers have found that the recreational areas available during break are now very crowded. Mr. Polasko commented that “when we first went to this schedule, we couldn’t get out to the pad because of the snow. The gym was definitely more crowded. [Without the snow], we can use the pad, and in the spring when the front fields are dry, it will be even better.”
Also, when the current sophomores were in the MS, it was bigger than it is now. We are less crowded than we were two years ago during break.
Mr. Park Gilmore, eighth-grade history teacher, said he is “not sure the goal is attainable based on the substantial differences in kids in each of the four grades developmentally. They all have different goals, emotional needs, and abilities. It is hard to unite even two grades.”
Mrs. Roberta Menter, Team Leader, Grade 5, math, said, “I guess there is some interaction, although the gym is split. There are some times during breaks where there is opportunity [for interactions].”
“The only time the kids are together is during lunch and in the gym, but they are separated,” Ms. Suzanne Lewis, MS math teacher, explained.
Sarah Mueller, ’14, said, “I haven’t gotten a snack [since the bell change] because there is a huge blob [of people] around the snacks.”
“I would appreciate having the seventh and eighth grades go to lunch at a different time than the sixth and fifth grades because then it would be less crowded and people wouldn’t have to rush through the lunch line to find a seat,” Alexander Maier, ’15, added.
Austin Frohn, ’15, agrees. He thinks that “the eighth and seventh should probably go together so that there isn’t a big line and fifth and sixth earlier because they are younger. When we all go at once, there is a big line.”
Mr. Kenneth Randall, US Spanish teacher, sometimes goes early to lunch and eats during the MS lunch bell. He said, “It is really noisy. There are a lot of people.”
Photo by Allison Mesh.