The Camas High School (CHS) 2023-2024 school year has caused frustration among the student body due to changes made around the study hall period to finish the school day. Previously known as a conference period, a 30-minute period when students could make up work, study, and get in touch with their teachers, Student Support time, a 15-minute period, is meant to serve the same purpose. However, with this new change comes the question of its benefits.
Students, specifically clubs, feel especially frustrated with the altered period as they say it does not give them enough time to hold meetings properly and arrive home promptly.
“I think it’s weird that they’re calling it Student Support when 15 minutes is not enough time to support students,” DECA President Karli Kiesenhofer said.
Kiesenhofer had to move DECA socials to Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of their usual Mondays and Wednesdays. Their club time now expands after school from 3-4, significantly increasing members’ time after school. The activity bus, which transports students after school hours, is only in service on those days.
Kiesenhofer also says that it is very stressful to plan for DECA meetings when she only has a 15-minute period to work with. She says everything feels rushed and non-genuine as she finds herself rushing through information to fit the time slot. Since DECA is such a large club, it is hard to coordinate around everyone’s schedules.
Deca is not the only club that has been affected by student support. Sophia Wade, the president of the Black Student Union (BSU) at CHS, finds similar difficulty in planning club activities. Although the club is relatively small, she feels it is still hard to manage. She has had to completely alter the BSU meeting structure as there is not enough time to do the same activities that took place during the 2022-2023 school year.
Since BSU does not have many members, Wade says people are less inclined to attend a 15-minute meeting anyway.
In addition to BSU president, Wade also runs Key Club and says it is equally as challenging to get everything done quickly.
“We’re having a hard time getting everyone in, taking attendance, and finishing our presentations all within 15 minutes,” Wade said.
Wade adds that other schools had come to present for Key Club in the past, but now there is not enough time for that.
It is not just clubs feeling frustration. Students are also being affected by the switch to Student Support time.
“15 minutes includes going to class and getting prepared,” CHS student Anika Misra said, “There isn’t enough time to sit down and get work done. Support is there, but the time isn’t.”
Misra takes rigorous AP classes, and there is not always enough time for her to get the assistance she needs.
Not every student can attend all the clubs they are interested in since many clubs overlap with the same days and times. Some students have after-school commitments such as sports to take part in. The consensus among CHS students is that Student Support does not give them the time needed to complete all their work. Both club presidents and students must work hard this year to compensate for the lost time.