Moans and groans are all that is heard from students when discussing the changes such as door locking and the new Advisory; however the administrators view this glass as half full.
Changes in the schedule have been happening for years, from the creation of Spartan Time to the later start time on Wednesdays. The changes this year are less drastic on paper, but appear to be wreaking havoc on the student mindset.
The addition of locking doors is another hassle, but in reality, it was put in place to benefit students, not to ruin their lives.
“Last year we had a man not associated with WS enter the building downstairs and was rattling doors, it was creepy,” said freshman Administrator Becky Brandt, “We don’t want to be vulnerable or susceptible to that. Our top priority is the safety of our students and teachers.”
With safety in the administrations mind, students need to remember that it isn’t just WS that is being affected by change, and the administration and security staff aren’t solely at fault for all the adjustments happening.
“This is the new way of business around the county,” said security officer Bill Langloh, “With all the recent shootings, they are locking down elementary and middle schools and now they are moving onto high schools.”
Safety is the main motivation for the change to locking the doors, but another change that is irritating students is the new Spartan Time. The fact that students must check in with their advisory teacher before going to another class, and only being able to do so if they have a stamp is a huge source of grumbles and moans from the student body this year. Although Spartan Time can be a hassle, Principal Mark Greenfelder kept the welfare of the students in mind when he made this decision.
“We based the changes in the schedule on student, parent and teacher feedback,” said Greenfelder, “it’s not perfect, but I think it’s better than the system we had last year.”
With the effort of everyone who works to make the schedule better in mind, everyone is still entitled to their opinion.  The new Spartan Time schedule may not be every student’s cup of tea, and if students want a change there are steps that can be taken.
“Talk to student government, talk to a class officer, go to a PTA meeting, meet with your administration,” said Brandt, “We’d be open to suggestions.”
As for dealing with the changes currently, students should keep an open mind.
“People are always adverse to change,” said Langloh, “Hopefully in a few years it’ll just be the status quo.”