By GENEVA HINKLE – News Writer
Clarke Central High School administration incorporated a new element into the daily schedule during the 2011-12 school year: Glad Time.
Clarke Central High School sophomore Barrett Binder and CCHS math department chair Joy Sapp use the 32-minute period called Glad Time efficiently.
Glad Time provides students with opportunities for remediation, and teachers have the option of placing a student in their Glad Time if they believe that student needs extra assistance. Now, in its second year, Glad Time has undergone changes in order to benefit students and increase the efficiency of the 32-minute period.
“A lot of times you cannot reach those kids who need that extra assistance after school, so we try to build it in within the day,” CCHS Principal Dr. Robbie P. Hooker said.
Glad Time occurs between second and third block every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while Advisement fills this time on Mondays and Fridays.
“It’s nice to be able to take a break from the stressful environment of class, but still be able to do work,” CCHS sophomore Gemma English said.
Tardies and absences are being counted towards students’ attendance in Glad Time and Advisement for the 2012-13 school year, a change from the 2011-12 school year.
“If (the students) are skipping Glad Time, I always tell them, ‘You’re running away from an education,’” Hooker said.
*out of 508 students polled. Graphic by Shari Armour
Another change is that students choose a new class for Glad Time every four weeks instead of two. However, reaction among faculty varies.
“I think (the four weeks) will be good,” CCHS media specialist Kacy Tedder said. “I think it will give students a chance to really get caught up in their work and I think it will mediate a lot of the work load on the teachers, too.”
CCHS math department teacher Eric McCullough sees the change as problematic.
“I think that (CCHS) should keep it at (students) can change (Glad Time) every two weeks,” McCullough said. “A student might not have trouble for four weeks in one class.”
While Glad time is available to the majority of CCHS students, some are not able to attend because they are enrolled in the Athens Community Career Academy, an academic program also initiated last year. However, Hooker ensures those students will not miss important elements of Glad Time.
“There are key components of Glad Time that kids must have, that’s Georgia 411 and some other initiatives, and (the ACCA) is trying to incorporate that in during (the students’) time over there,” Hooker said.
Glad Time, a program that provides students and teachers with opportunities that were not provided in previous years, is still being tested and improved in its second year of operation
“We’re evaluating (Glad Time) year by year, or each term, as to how we can improve it,” Hooker said.
