2011-2012 school calendar approved with significant changes

By Eduardo Calderon | Staff Writer

With the approach of a new school year also comes a new calender for the school year.

“It’s a definite, new calender,” AP Hensley Cone said.

The school year is dated to end earlier than years in the past.

“Next year ends on May 30, while this year ends June 2,” Principal John Mehlbrech said.

Although ending early, the school year will start out the same.

“We come back August 22, so we come back at the same time,” Mehlbrech said, “By law, school starts a week before the last Monday in August, unless you get a waiver from the state.”

The recent change was brought up by the high school principals of NEISD.

“The high school principals asked Middleton to end the semester at Winter Break so the district of education improvement committee reviewed the request and rearranged the schedule to end at break,” Mehlbrech said.

Many students should be pleased with the change because now they can fully enjoy winter break.

“They’re gonna like it; educators do, and parents will like it,” Mehlbrech said, “With the semester ending at break, there will be no homework, and tests will already be done.”

The new calender also allots equal length to either semester.

“There will be balanced days in spring and fall,” Cone said, “The state mandates school days and the times of those days.”

Due to school ending early, the time taken away must be compensated for with what were previously vacation days.

“Instead of two weeks of winter break, you get a week and a half; it will be nine days instead of ten,” Mehlbrech said, “These couple of days are added to do final testing of the semester.”

Many students do not seem to mind the changes to their break.

“Winter break is too long anyways,” junior Garrett Maloney said. “I prefer a shorter break and a longer summer.”

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