For the 2022-2023 school year, Marriotts Ridge has implemented Flex Time, a revised version of Mustang and Ridge times students were given in previous years.
Last year, Wednesdays were designated as Mustang and Ridge Time days in which the schedule was modified to give students a thirty minute break from classes. While Mustang Time was made for students with the intention of allowing students a break from their daily stressors, Ridge Time mandated students to stay in their second period classrooms and participate in activities that would create an environment where students could open up about mental health and form meaningful bonds with their peers. However, due to student misbehavior within these time blocks, the school administration decided that there needed to be a change.
“Last year, Ms. Goldeisen made a decision that things were getting out of hand—the student behavior during Mustang time. Mustang time was shut down around the third quarter because there were a few bathroom issues; there was fighting going on, students throwing water bottles off the balcony and many different behaviors that were unsafe,” Dr. DiPaula, the new principal, explained.
The administration is now enforcing Flex Time, a combination of Mustang and Ridge Time. In Flex Time, students are unable to leave their class unless they have pre-distributed passes to meet with teachers or attend club meetings. If students do attend a club meeting during this time, they are unable to leave the room until Flex Time ends.
Students express negative feelings towards the addition of Flex Time.
“I prefer last year’s [Mustang Time], but at the beginning of the year, when we didn’t have to stay in the classroom. I liked it better when we could hang out with our friends during those 30 minutes,” junior Ashley Dabbah said.
However, some teachers express a different sentiment.
“There was no structure [for Mustang and Ridge Time], and [in] Ridge Time, we were supposed to do scheduled activities, mindfulness activities for students, and this year’s Flex Time is kind of student time,” math teacher Ms. Hawkins said. “I prefer this year’s [Flex Time] for sure. Students have to have a pass, so there’s some uniformity there. Students won’t abuse the new system with the passes, and hopefully we can kind of maintain it now since we have more structure.”
Many teachers still plan on doing mindfulness activities for students, but most of the time students spend in Flex Time will be dedicated to clubs and getting work done instead of having to do it at home. If students need to catch up, they can go to teachers’ classrooms and get a pass beforehand to get extra help.
Even though many students prefer Mustang Time, Flex Time has benefits for students. Students now have extra time to go to clubs in case they can’t stay after school or can complete homework they might not have time to do when they get home. If students don’t have any homework or clubs, they are allowed to be on their phones and listen to music or catch up on their favorite shows.
MRHS staff members believe that students need to try to understand why the faculty made their decision and make the most out of the time they are given.