By now, we have all already voted or heard about the open poll to decide on a schedule for next year here at Franklin High School. Many students out there may have overlooked this and not even voted. Well, I am here to tell you why your vote matters and what is the BEST option.

First things first, let us go over our different options. We have three. One is to keep the same schedule we have been using this year. That is our 4×4 A/B schedule, so we keep the same classes all year and switch depending on the weekday. Our second option is to adopt a typical 4×4, semester-by-semester schedule like other high schools in our district. This schedule would mean we keep the same four classes all semester and change for the next semester. This would also mean we have FOUR finals, two midterms for each semester, and two-semester finals. The final option is to adopt a six-period schedule. This means that we would only apply for six classes for the year. That would mean giving up on some of our fun electives!

Now you might be wondering what is the BEST option. I am here to tell you that the only correct option can be #1. Yes, you read that right: our current schedule is the best of the three, and here is why.

First, we full International Baccalaureate students are expected to take all our IB exams at the end of the school year. This would mean that we are expected to do well on exams about classes we would have taken five months ago! Let us be realistic; we will have forgotten most of what we have learned by then, and this system will not favor our exam scores.

Second, even if you are not an IB student, this schedule is still the most inconvenient for you for several reasons. As previously stated, this schedule allows us to have finals only twice a school year. Midterm finals are in December before winter break, and end-of-the-year finals are at the end of the year. This is because we continue with the same classes all semester. However, if we were to change classes each semester, we would need to treat each semester as a school year, meaning one midterm and one final for each semester. That means having finals four times a year.

Another reason the A/B schedule is beneficial even to those who are not IB students is that we do not have to attend the same classes every day. Most students find the variation of classes between days more enjoyable than attending the same classes every day. This also makes it feel like we have two days to do our homework since some classes/days are leaner than others.

So, if you still need to vote on a schedule for next year, now you know the best option!