A significant change was made to the St. Thomas schedule when it was decided that there would be four block days a week for this school year. The change was met with very mixed reactions when it was initially announced late last school year, However, two months into the new school year, it appears that most of the St. Thomas community has grown to love the schedule change. Teachers enjoy the change because of increased time to cover their lessons while students enjoy the greater homework-time balance and stability from not having to switch classes every forty five minutes.

  With the addition of the new schedule, teachers now have more time to give their lessons and focus on going more in depth than they could before. Block days have always been a unique feature of St. Thomas because of that purpose, teachers would have one day a week that could focus on more complex topics or experiments for an hour and a half. The only difference is that these days occur more frequently. Therefore, most days feel as though teachers can finish their lessons rather than having to rush through their lessons to finish before the bell.

  However, the new schedule has not only been embraced by teachers, but also by the student body itself. Initial support for the block schedule was based on the feedback of student athletes, who during the use of the all block schedule during the pandemic, had more time to manage assignments from their classes. This benefit has carried itself over to the post-pandemic era of STH student life. Assignments are spread out across more days and with longer lunch periods and the addition of a flex period on Thursdays and Fridays, it has never been easier to work on projects or find time to talk with teachers.

School days feel less chaotic because students and teachers are not constantly moving to different classrooms every 45 minutes. By just being able to remain in a classroom for longer, it feels like students are able to become more comfortable in a class. The effect of this can be seen on the lone regular schedule Mondays, as those days seem to race by in comparison to block days. The new block schedule has slowed most days of school, which has allowed an environment where students have more time to focus on their class rather than pack their bags early to leave for their next class.

Although the change was initially met with some mixed responses, the change to a mostly block schedule has become a welcomed addition to the St. Thomas lifestyle. Teachers and students are able to enjoy more time to go through lessons, have time to complete assignments in school, and not have to constantly move into new classrooms. While the change had initially faced mixed receptions, it appears that most of the St. Thomas community adores the new schedule.