Students walked through the doors of Westside High School on Jan. 5 expecting a return to normalcy. Instead, they were greeted with airplane intercom-sounding bells as well as a plethora of scheduling issues and conflicts; some students were missing entire classes from their schedule, while others had none listed at all. To add to the chaos, the Westside Scheduler, an app where students could track their schedules throughout the day, was no longer working. When students went to the Guidance IMC to ask for help with these issues, an administrator was seated out front, answering questions and turning students away from seeing their counselors, because the Guidance IMC was being used as a planning hub for scheduling conflicts. 

We, like many other students, were annoyed at how unnecessarily difficult a two-day week was turning out to be, yet we were hopeful that the next week would be better. However, when we arrived at school at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, our hopes were suddenly squashed. Students and staff members alike were still experiencing issues. Not only that, but the PowerSchool app which some students had been using to track their grades and class schedule was no longer working. 

The disaster did not last long. After several hours, the PowerSchool app was up and running once again, and after several days we had grown accustomed to the sound of the new bells. Yet one question still remained: Why make all these changes made at semester? 

This year has been a tumultuous one at Westside. We have a new principal this year, and he has brought many changes with him to the school. While many of these changes have been positive, like digital IDs, we can’t help but feel that some of them have been rushed. we understand that there are many issues that need to be fixed, but we fail to understand why they must be fixed immediately. 

There are many things that not only can but should be improved upon, but haphazardly searching for solutions during a two week break is not a good idea. All this does is cause confusion and create more problems in the short run. Changes like these should be reserved for the beginning of the school year. 

In the end, both students and staff at Westside High School are incredibly adaptable. However much people may bristle at these changes, they will eventually become accustomed to them and see the utility in them. However, the question then becomes: are these changes necessary or simply for the sake of change?