Pride Time shakes up Wakefield

Wakefield High School established a new policy called Pride Time that started with the new school year. Pride Time is a thirty minute remedial period that is aimed at improving the grades of students and lifting graduation rates. Students who have below an 80% average in a class will be required to attend Pride Time in hopes that at least 95% of students can graduate.

Students at Wakefield were not seeking help themselves, so administration felt that it was necessary to force them to get the remediation they need.

“We are able to, basically, capture all the kids who aren’t doing well in school,” Principal Bazzel said. “We don’t want to just give out diplomas. We want that diploma to mean something. We want kids career and college ready when they graduate.”

Previously, the primary time that students could receive tutoring was during SMART lunch. However, this system did not work as the students that needed help didn’t utilize the remediation period. Many of the kids that had below an 80% average would leave campus for lunch, and administration didn’t have enough time to track down every kid that skipped SMART lunch. 

“I think in a similar way to smart lunch, those who are taking advantage of it are having a positive impact,” math teacher Richard Krassy said.

Pride Time is a new experience for both teachers and students, so both sides had no idea what to expect. Teachers and administrators, for the most part, see some positives in Pride Time, as do some students. However, a portion of students are strongly opposed to Pride Time and its effectiveness.  

The teachers and staff who are ecstatic about Pride Time believe it will give students more time to receive the one on one help they need.

“Those who are taking advantage of it are having a positive impact. Any time you can get more one on one instruction the better off you are,” Krassy said.

However, not all students are responding positively to Pride Time. These students believe that the same problems that occurred during SMART Lunch are still occurring during Pride Time.

“During Pride Time I’ve noticed more kids talking and fooling around than actually doing their work,” senior Ethan Jorge said. “It can be very distracting to anyone who truly needs to get work done.”

Those who aren’t as worried about completing school work have a more positive attitude about Pride Time. Many of these students see Pride Time as break in the middle of the day.

“I haven’t really used my Pride Time constructively. I love that 30 minute break in the middle of the day because it’s a time to chill,” sophomore Evan Schock said.

Even though Krassy is happy with the school’s transition to Pride Time, he still believes there is room for improvement. Krassy is trying to find a way to make Pride Time as effective as possible, and he expects to adapt as time goes on.

“It’s hard to spend more than one or two minutes per person. There’s always more students to serve than you have time for,” Krassy said. “I think we need more time to work with our students who need more one on one help.”

As teachers and students get used to Pride Time, Bazzell believes that more people will begin to use Pride Time efficiently. He expects that Pride Time will be a success compared to SMART Lunch, but he is willing to make changes if necessary.

“A lot of the students that weren’t using SMART Lunch are using Pride Time because it is easier to track down their attendance,” Bazzell said. “Either or in the second semester or next year we will make some adjustments. We want to make sure that students have the opportunity to remediate during the day. With everything new it takes some time to adjust.”