After a year and a half of the same Park Connections structure, administration announced the implementation of Action Thursdays. Despite some small structural flaws, the Echo Editorial Board stands unanimously in favor of this new plan.

On January 25, Action Thursdays were announced to begin the second semester of the 2021-22 school year. On these days, students will not report to their regular Park Connections classes, but instead will go to the Thursday activity that they signed up for on the Student Support Time website. The activities offered include UNO, Latin dance and movie watch parties. In this new structure, students are binded to their activity for a full quarter, and will have the opportunity to switch come the fourth quarter in the spring.

The Board feels Action Thursdays open the door to a wide range of new possibilities. By changing the structure of Park Connections, it gives students something that they chose to look forward to. For many students, Park Connections felt like just another class due to the repetitive, restrictive curriculum given to all Park Connections teachers. By giving students the freedom of choice, students can choose an activity that they enjoy and will anticipate with excitement every Thursday.

Another concept the Board appreciates surrounding Action Thursdays is the ability to build new relationships. By signing up for an activity hosted by a new or unknown teacher, students can forge connections with teachers they otherwise would not have had. Additionally, since Thursday activities are not broken up by grade, students can meet and build bonds with students they otherwise would not be in classes with. This ability to form new connections with Park’s community members is incredibly valuable and serves as another advantage to Action Thursdays.

However, this is not to say that Action Thursdays is not without its flaws. The nine-week lock-in on Action Thursdays feels restrictive and the Board could foresee it causing issues. For example, if a student signs up for an activity, and they find they do not enjoy it, the next eight Thursdays are wasted when the student could be doing something more beneficial. The Board suggests the implementation of a preview period of the activities or a shorter activity commitment to alleviate this issue.

The Board approves of the new Action Thursdays, and believes students should take advantage of the new structure, and sign up for something that would be most helpful to themselves.