Action Wednesday was thirty minutes at the end of the day where teachers would host a particular niche. These niches ranged from board games to The British Baking Show. Action Wednesday was a time for students to relax and unwind or get some extra work done. It would impact our Wednesday schedule by changing the class from forty minutes, like they are now, to thirty-five minutes, shortening Park Connections. Students each quarter would sign up in Park Connections for which teachers’ room they would go to.

Some of the benefits of Action Wednesday were that you could meet your friends in your favorite teacher’s room and play games for the last 30 minutes of school. This offers a more relaxed end to the school day that gives students something to look forward to. This time allowed students to deepen their connection with a teacher and for teachers to show off a different side of themselves that they usually wouldn’t.

It did come with its flaws. Upperclassmen would leave early since it was the end of the day. Since students didn’t receive grades for the class, people viewed showing up as optional. This defeated the whole purpose of Action Wednesday, reducing it to an early release for upperclassmen who can drive. Teachers were also not big fans because of the shortened classes—they felt they were too short, and 35 minutes was considered an awkward time frame.

There was also a problem with people attending classes that were different from what they had signed up for. The gym teachers always filled up the quickly because people wanted extra gym time. However, there weren’t enough spots for everyone, so people would sneak into the gyms. As a result, this would cause overcrowding in the gyms and desert other rooms that were expected to have lots of students. Furthermore, the hallways were always crowded and rowdy with students skipping who couldn’t drive home.

I would like to see the school bring back Action Wednesday with a few tweaks. To solve the problem of upperclassmen leaving early, I would change the timing to between 2nd and 3rd hour. Park Connections can get very boring, so this would give people something to look forward to. To fix the problem of people going to a different classroom, we could monitor using the new Smartpass so teachers would know which class students should be in and also solve the problem of people wandering the hallways. If a student was failing a class, then they would have to go to a special classroom where they would be able to catch up on their work. Students who are completing all of their schoolwork should have time to relax/

This solution would be a win-win because it rewards people who are ahead in their classes by allowing them 35 relaxing minutes during the day. Meanwhile, people who are behind in their classes can catch up without having to come in early or stay after school. This study aspect would function like a study hall class where it is a quiet and productive environment.

No matter what part of the day or for how long, I think that Park should bring back Action Wednesday. Back in 9th grade, I enjoyed it and I think that some of the class who haven’t gotten to experience it should. The school could utilize the new link space during Action Wednesday by offering a special occasion, solving the question of what to do with the new link space. This could also apply to the new lunch room, where we should fully use these new spaces.

I think that if the administration experimented with Action Wednesday they would be pleasantly surprised to find that it improves students’ moods and spirits, leading to better productivity.