We’re the Hawks. Across the street at the elementary school, there is an eagle as their mascot. The middle school are the falcons and, although the bird hierarchy might not make sense, we all have our own mascots, right? Well, not anymore. Over the past year, North Harford Middle School has been working hard to make the shift from ‘Proud Falcons’ to ‘Proud Hawks. ’ While sitting in the newly painted gym, I started to wonder, was making this huge change a good thing? On one hand, the middle schoolers are getting a jump start on high school life, from participating in fun spirit day events circled around “The Hawks,” to having 90-minute class periods. But is it too early to do this? Is it taking away from their upcoming experiences?
There are so many things to look forward to in high school. Part of my grade school experience was watching movies that showcased homecoming football games and the spirit week that led up to it, waiting for the day that I could participate was all part of the fun. Now, at North Harford Middle, there is no need to anticipate because Homecoming Week was recently introduced to them. Of course, spirit days are fun for all ages, but in my opinion, Homecoming days and dressing in ‘class colors’ are subjective to high school.
So, things like that beg the question- is it better to have something fun to look forward to, or better to get a jump start on school spirit as soon as possible?
Another thing that the middle school is changing is their schedule. Instead of the usual 45-minute classes, they are switching over to the 90-minute block schedule like us. Yes, they are only implementing this change two days a week, but that just makes it even harder to decipher what days they go to what class. In elementary school, each class is 30 minutes long. It makes sense to make the jump to 45, but 90 minutes?! That is a big switch that might not be so beneficial to everyone involved. Eleven-year-olds attention span can’t handle that long of classes. Plus, the kids who are already in the middle are getting confused. When I was in ninth grade, it was a big switch schedule-wise, but I am a firm believer it would have been much tougher had I been in middle school.
Although not everyone is supportive of this big change, there are lots of people who love it. Schools all over the country have had middle and high school as one for so long. Some high schools include grades 7-12, or even K-12. This means that five-year-olds may be on the same wavelength as 18-year-olds. In this case, shifting the schedule shouldn’t be a big deal. Plus, there was a vote whether or not to change the mascot. A forms quiz was sent out, and it allowed unlimited votes per person. Obviously, green and gold won over red, white, and blue.
So, farewell to the classic middle school schedule. I wonder if you will be missed.