On Jan. 8, 2024, Skyline High School implemented a new policy: the morning announcements moved from the beginning of second hour to the end, at 10:25 a.m.
Staff and students have very different opinions on this change. “The teachers were concerned about announcements going longer than they were supposed to.” says interim Principal Casey Elmore.
Administrators made this change in response to the staff coming forward with concerns. “Sometimes teachers had to wait five, ten, 15 minutes for the announcements to come on,” says special education teacher Young Park. “Sometimes they [didn’t] even come on, and that delays instruction.”
Many teachers agree that this change fosters more time for education and instruction at the beginning of class. They argue that the time needed for instruction is more vital than the time at the end of class for winding down. “We add[ed] an additional five minutes onto second hour for announcements,” says Elmore. “If the announcements go over the five minutes they will play during passing time rather than interrupt class.”
Some staff remain indifferent or dislike the change. “I don’t mind the change right now, it’s the end of the tri and so there’s less going on,” says math teacher Eric Stymest. “We’ll see how it goes in the third tri when we start learning new material.”
Some students have strong opinions about this new change as they feel it interrupts class while they are still listening to their teacher or doing work. “It ruins the flow of class,” says Jessica Lee (‘25). “We’re in the middle of discussion and we have to stop.”
Others argue the transition period between first and second hour was better with announcements. “The beginning of second hour is when I like to relax and listen to the announcements,” says Sofia Torres (‘25). “It’s a nice shift where I can get my stuff out and transition.”
Although the announcements are important, the decision on the time frame arguably results in less student attention to the announcements. “It disrupts the end of class. People are trying to pack up which makes it harder to hear,” says Andrew Lyon (‘25). “I would listen to the morning announcements at the beginning but not at the end.”
With time, Skyline students and staff may be able to adjust. It was rocky at the beginning but administration is confident that the timing will be mastered and announcements will become a uniform apart of our day. “There [were] timing issues that first week,” says Elmore. “I think we got it down now.”
