EMMA FROST
Dear Ms. Colgan, Mr. Jaurigue, Ms. Specter, Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Wyman, Superintendent Guy, and Mr. Payne,
My name is Emma Frost and I am a junior at Los Alamos High School. As a rising senior, the schedule decision has a small-scale impact on me, but it does have a lasting impact on my teachers, parents, as well as my peers, which is why I am vocalizing my opinions on the proposed schedules. Although implementing a more balanced schedule with longer breaks throughout the year can benefit students’ and teachers’ mental health, implementing schedule C is the superior option because it provides the best solution for extracurricular involvement, academic time management, and student engagement.
Calendar C provides students in extracurricular activities time to rest, which is beneficial for their mental health, and maintains alignment to the NMAA schedule/other important events. According to the New Mexico Youth Risk and Assessment survey that is provided for Los Alamos High School students by the New Mexico Department of Health and Department of Public Education, “52.3% of students are very involved in after school activities”. As a student who participates in activities during and after school, I can speak first handedly at the exhaustion I feel after a loaded day. Keeping up with school work and activities is a difficult task, so having the extra week off in the fall will ensure that students are receiving enough breaks to reduce physical and mental stress. Additionally, Calendar C does not conflict with the main school events such as NMAA state competitions or standardized testing (such as APs), which makes it easily adaptable by school sports teams, as well as students. Although Calendar B does provide more breaks throughout the school year, the end of the summer is necessary for students participating in fall sports and other activities such as band. Students in band and sports (such as cross country) have the opportunity to attend certain camps to improve their ability in their said activity. Several of these camps take place nationwide during the last few weeks of summer, which conflicts with the schedule proposed by Calendar B. It is important to take into consideration students with conflicting obligations as well as what schedule will best provide them with the most support to succeed in their academic and athletic careers.
Reducing academic stressors that are causing negative mental health effects for students is a problem that can be addressed with Calendar C. In Los Alamos, achievement in school/grades are the largest stressor along with overall feelings of being overwhelmed. I personally already have a hard time adjusting to the rigorous schedule and school setting after long or frequent breaks from school. So, finding a balance between having enough time to focus/recover from school stress and staying in school for long enough periods of time is a top priority. Calendar C is the only solution to this issue since it has eight weeks of summer for students, compared to the nine in Calendar A, and there is not a two week long break in the fall, which is proposed in the B calendar. Calendar A is also not a viable solution because the lack of breaks throughout the year keeps kids in school for longer periods of time, which wears them down and can lead to an increase of stress. Calendar C has an equal balance of time off and in school and will be the best schedule for students who either forget taught material over long breaks or have a hard time adjusting to new schedules.
Even though there is no outcome that will please the entirety of the public, I urge the members of the school board to pass legislation placing calendar C as the final schedule for the following school year. Included in this schedule should be a statement that the additional five days needed on the calendar should be spent as independent work days. Independent work days are days when students can spend time at home catching up on school work, but will have access to their teachers via google meet or email if necessary. Choosing Calendar C reduces the chance of students participating in activities becoming burned out or missing opportunities to improve their skill sets, which may not happen if a different calendar is chosen. C is the calendar that has the students’ needs prioritized.
I am assured that each member of the school board will take all of this into consideration and I am excited to see the final verdict. Thank you for taking the time to read over my email and for taking my opinions into consideration.
Sincerely,
Emma Frost
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