by Eduardo Calderon|News Editor

The 2012-2013 school year marks the beginning of new classes, new teachers, new friends, and even a new schedule for Jaguars.  Johnson has incorporated the new flex day period geared to help students.

“We’re the only school in North East to have [flex day], we’re more proactive and reactive,” principal John Mehlbrech said, “It benefits students in all ranges.”

Flex day takes place two days of the week, Tuesday and Wednesday, which all classes are shortened to 45 minutes, to squeeze the 35 minute flex period between second and third period.

“The students [have] handled it well. There were no issues, no complaints,” principal John Mehlbrech said. “There were positive comments, and appreciation for the time and opportunity for [work].”

With the installment of this new-age take on study hall, flex day offers students more time to catch up on missing work.

“The flex [period] is a time to work on what you want to work on, instead of in class,” math teacher Natalie Miller said.

Students find that the flex period provides for their academic work.

“Yeah it’s cool; it’s a good period to catch up on things,” junior Jack Robles said.

Beginning of the second nine weeks, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will choose what kind of activity they will participate in during the flex class.

“There’s a variety of choices right now. Teachers are providing [ideas] like history in film, World War II through media, poetry, book club,” Mehlbrech said. “There are unique types of things to choose from, but study hall is [available] as well.”

Choices are not permanent as students will choose what course they will join in every nine weeks.

“Every nine weeks a new set of courses will [come out], some will remain the same, and others will change,” Mehlbrech said.

The freshmen class will be the only group of students not to have a choice in their flex period selection.

“Freshmen will continue the seven habits of training, in the long run [it] will benefit to successes,” Mehlbrech said.

The new flex period will allow students to participate in certain activities that they may not be able to because of extracurriculars.

“It gets students more involved on campus instead of having to go before or after school [to take] activities,” Miller said.

The flex period will not serve as additional time for extracurricular activities.

“It’s not for lifting weights, playing instruments, or singing,” Mehlbrech said, “It’s for academics, either directly related to core [subjects] or other learning mechanisms.”

The new period may give teachers more time for their subjects in each of their classes.

“I’m excited about study hall. It’s good for kids, plus it does not waste class time for school policies/procedures,” Miller said.

As many Jaguars find benefits from the new flex schedule, there is still some getting use too.

“We’re continuing adjustments as we go, [we are going] to ask a random selection of students for positive and negative [feedback],” Mehlbrech said. “At the end of year we’ll assess where we are.”