In addition to a new building, the year started with several new policies.

Both juniors and seniors now have the opportunity for open campus. “With the new building and all the changes, we’re trying to find the most efficient way of using our teachers,” principal Ryan Woods said.

Now instead of giving students a study hall the school gives them open periods to run home or catch up on homework. “By giving open campus to the juniors we open up more opportunities to go to teachers for help,” Woods said. During their lunch hours they are able to leave and get lunch outside of school.

“Each year we will try to revisit our policies and try new things,” Woods said. “We may give sophomores the opportunity to have open campus in the future.”

Woods discovered that most surrounding districts had similar policies. “I talked with the other schools around us and many of them had only juniors and seniors for open campus,” he said.

The school also changed the passes in and out of classes and school. “In the past, we would say everything over the intercom,” Woods said. “Spending five minutes after every period naming names was loud and distracting so we tried to think of a better way.”

The new system has everything announced through emails causing less distractions.

The school is also trying to keep kids in school more by making all absences unexcused if there is no doctors’ note. “This way we can give our kids the chance to get excused absences,” Woods said. “This should also persuade parents to change appointments to later times or on the weekend.”