Late Start Offered at Libertyville High School

 will have "Late Starts" every Wednesday this year, beginning Labor Day and ending the week before Prairie State Achievement Examination testing (April 24).

School will start at 8:55 a.m. on those days, and each class will be 40 minutes long. Teachers now will have the opportunity to meet on a regular basis because of this change. Before first period on Late Start days, they will work in department teams to talk about curriculum, instruction and assessment, and they will give each other feedback on what works.

In the past, teachers have had four full-day teacher institutes throughout the year. This year, they will have only three. There also used to be five half-days for students throughout the year, but this year there will only be three: the first day of school, ACT testing day, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The cut time will be spread among the new Late Start Wednesdays.

Late Start Could Benefit All

The Late Start change is being made not only for the benefit of teachers, but also for the students. Students will be able to sleep in, and there will be access before school to all the resource centers.

“I think it’s a great idea. It will be especially nice in the winter when the early mornings are so cold and dark. I’m looking forward to it,” said Katie Cashman, parent of sophomore Audrey Cashman and freshman Maggie Cashman.

Teachers have varying opinions on the Late Start days, although the one thing they all seem to have in common is the value of working with other teachers on a regular basis. 

“I prefer the schedule of a regular day. If we’re going to have a different schedule, however, I really appreciate having time dedicated to working with my colleagues,” math teacher Sara Gourley said.

Other teachers are excited about the entire package Late Starts have to offer.

"I like (the change) because it gives teachers time to work together, which is rare. Teachers work in a vacuum, and we rarely get to work together and learn from one another. The new Late Start schedule will remedy that," said English teacher Craig Schmidt.

Stevenson High Has Regular Late Starts

Stevenson High School is one high school of many that schedules regular Late Starts (called Second Day of the Week Schedule at Stevenson). They have had them regularly since the 1990s and have found them to be an effective change of schedule. 

“Our Second Day of the Week Schedule has worked out very well. It provides a valuable opportunity for our teachers to meet with their colleagues,” Stevenson Public Coordinator Jim Conrey said.

Planning for the Late Starts began in February 2010. The school board voted in November to pass the proposal, and then later approved the schedule. 

Students have different opinions on the Late Starts next year because they affect each one so differently.

Students Have Mixed Feelings

Some students are really excited about the changes.

“Late Starts every Wednesday would be awesome,” said freshman Jack Kakenmaster.

Other students disagree.

“I don’t really like Late Starts that much because I have to walk to school most of the time during” them, said sophomore Amanda Colwell. 

Some students think that when Late Starts are regular, there will be less excitement over them.

"I don't know if it will be worth it. Think about how much we look forward to every day off," said freshman Elizabeth Woo.

While the Late Starts have been approved, the details of the year's schedule are still being worked out.

“We’re going to try it, tweak it and see how it goes,” said Deb Larson, superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

The original article written by Jess Dawson was first published in Drops of Ink, a publication written, edited and produced by students at .