Finalized schedule for Burrell's Huston Middle School prioritizes academics, aligns time for cocurriculars

A focus group charged with recommending proposals to a reconfigured Charles A. Huston Middle School next year landed on a schedule administrators say prioritizes academic time and maintains integrity for each grade level.

The middle school task force — a group of parents and teachers that have met over the past months to review schedules and plans when an additional grade level joins the school next year — finalized the schedule this week.

With Stewart Elementary closing, fourth grade students will attend Bon Air Elementary and fifth graders will be sent to Huston next year.

Huston’s schedule includes a 15-minute “free play” or recess period for fifth grade students and has science and social studies classes daily for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

It also establishes “Buc Time” which would be similar to an activities period or a time where clubs could meet. Sixth through eighth grades have that time shared, which was a priority of the task force, said Building Principal Travis Welch.

Welch said he also met with teachers to get their thoughts on the proposal.

“Teachers think it gives them the most meaningful academic time,” he said of the finalized schedule.

Band and choir are a scheduled course for students who take them.

Each grade has its own 30-minute lunch period, with fifth grade lunch at 10:50 a.m., sixth at 11:20 a.m., seventh at 12:01 p.m. and eighth at 12:43 p.m.

Bon Air’s task force was expected to finalize its building’s schedule on Tuesday night.

Once the task force meetings conclude, Superintendent Shannon Wagner said, administrators will look into bussing at Bon Air and logistics of moving things out of Stewart and around Bon Air and Huston.

Wagner said the task forces will present their findings to the board at a meeting March 11.

“The board does not vote on a schedule, or (on building layout,)” Wagner said. “Because this is such a big change, it’s about informing them about what the journey has been and what the final conclusions are,” Wagner said.

Wagner thinks the process has gone better than when the district last reconfigured its buildings in 2011.

“This way was more effective,” she said. “We brought stakeholders to the table and gave everyone a voice in a smaller setting.”