Starting this year at BBCHS, the administration has added late start days to the school. They take place every other Wednesday and they start at 9:10 a.m, instead of the usual time of 8:00 a.m. These days are for teachers to have meetings with each other on ways they can improve the school professionally. This change has had many positive effects on the school.

In the meetings, the administration and teachers discuss how the school can improve as a whole. When asked what the meetings consist of, assistant principal for freshman, Mr. Kemp, says, “We meet to talk about professional development and how we can improve as a school.” He also explained how they discuss and inform each other on school activities. The teachers can help benefit from the comments and concerns of other teachers and administrators. They also discuss new ways to teach and new ideas regarding learning and professional development. These meetings can help the teachers feel inspired to make the BBCHS environment a better learning experience for the students.

In the past, BBCHS has had early release days for when teachers had their meetings. Students would be released at 11:12 a.m. instead of the normal time of 3:00 p.m. Teachers then would stay to discuss their ways of growing as a whole. BBCHS changed the early release days to late start days to see if they will be more beneficial, and so far they have been very successful. Students come to school with a more energized and prepared mindset.

Students and teachers are liking these late start days for many reasons. When asked if they personally like the late start days, Kemp says, “I do, I like them because I am able to focus more because I feel more fresh and alert.” A junior at BBCHS, Claire Bakke, agrees with this idea and she also likes getting extra rest and having more time for homework. Students and teachers hope these late start days will continue in the future.