The beginning of this school year marks a big change. On the first day, high schoolers and middle schoolers alike flooded the halls, because this year,  Poland Seminary High School has become The Poland Seminary Junior/Senior High School, home to Bulldogs grades 7-12. 

Due to a 5 year audit and decision by the school board, major changes were required in order to close schools and maximize the use of the high school building. Some of the most notable changes being the need for busing, condensed lunch periods, construction of new bathrooms, and overall reconfiguration of the building. 

This, as you might expect, presented some challenges for the staff, with Principal Synder explaining that it’s like, “… running two worlds simultaneously.” 

The new development has also created some unexpected side-effects. These different worlds mean different schedules. This makes the organization of delays, testing and rallies, among other things, that much harder. 

The incorporation of busing has pushed back dismissal of high school students who are picked up, and has additionally affected staff.

There is now ,” …more pressure on the guidance department to meet the scheduling, social and emotional needs [of students],” expresses Snyder. 

With everything else new going on, there is also much less time for after school staff meetings.

There are, of course, problems that still need to be figured out, along with foreseeable issues. The influx of students means more clubs, after school activities and need for supervision as well as lack of parking as more students begin driving. 

A frustrated high school junior said, “I now have to walk around the entire school to get from one place to another. It’s an inconvenience and sometimes makes me late for class.” While this may have been the best solution in the board’s eyes, there have been some ramifications only someone from inside the school could have foreseen.

After student and staff feedback, to remedy this problem, an extra minute was added to the bell schedule between each class period to allow students time to walk to class on time.

On a brighter note though, Principal Snyder was quick to add, “The high school kids have been incredible role models. Everyone else has been super about it.”

Also, a middle school student said, “It is an easier introduction to what we will expect next year as freshmen.”

Change is inevitable, so it is important for us to see the positive side of this district-wide transition.