Working five times a week, attending school seven hours a day, and focusing on mental health leaves minimal time to complete school work. 

Senior Alyssa Machnikowski struggles to find time throughout her day to focus on school and all the work she needs to complete. 

Ninety-minute classes allow for students to finish their homework assigned through the day. Compared to a 45-minute schedule for each class, extended time grants students the ability to keep school separate from home life. 

Machnikowski prefers 90-minute classes because she can work on assignments at the end of class and possibly work on other subjects during that time. 

“Taking tests in the regular 45 minutes is stressful and does not leave enough time to completely focus,” Machnikowski said. “Having more time to complete tests and assignments takes off that  stress.” 

Other students believe 90-minute classes leave students the time to fully take in the information they are being taught. 

“Having classes under an hour makes the day go crazy fast,” Serena Peterson, junior, said. “I will leave the class and forget everything I just learned because I have to go focus on the next class.”

Although 90-minute classes are beneficial, some students believe it is entirely up to the teacher to determine if students can stay focused and engaged. 

“If the teacher is just teaching a lesson the whole time, then I am just sitting there twiddling my thumbs,” Machnikowski said. “If they are engaging the students then I will be more interested in their class.” 

Teachers create activities to encourage students to participate in class to prevent their minds from wandering elsewhere. 

“I put students in random groups and get them up out of their seats at the board where they need to interact with their peers,” Ms. Christina Burgess, math, said. 

According to ASCD, an instructional website for educators, extended class periods allow for teachers to experiment with hands-on activities. They can educate their students in a more effective way without interruption. 

Ninety-minute classes are beneficial to teachers and students to ensure they have extra time for proper education and time to complete school work. 

MCHS went to the 90-minute block schedule in the early 1990s. 

Caption: Students in 2B Forensic Science class take a test during a 90 minute class period.