Senior Derrick Hollenback has his Atom time booked every day. As an Atom in Good Standing, he has the freedom to go to different classes during the extra hour every white day. Sometimes, he goes to IB diploma or Group IV meetings. Other days, he works on his extended essay. Now that the first quarter of Atom Time is ending, he appreciates the extra time he has had to do homework.

“I like it a lot better than Flex. As an IB Diploma candidate, it’s useful,” Hollenback said.

Atom Time began this school year as an opportunity to give students more time to do their homework or seek help from a teacher. Atom Time is an hour-long free period after W4 each White Day. Students can either be characterized as an Atom in Good Standing, with As, Bs and Cs and no disciplinary infractions or a Directed Student, who must attend an assigned remediation for having a D or a F. They can also be characterized as an Atom Not in Good Standing, which is a student who either has As, Bs and Cs and disciplinary infractions, or they have a D or F but their teacher said the student does not need remediation.

According to a poll from The A-Blast Online, 79 percent of students like Atom Time. There are currently 1,052 Atoms in Good Standing, 178 Atoms Not in Good Standing and 1,195 directed students. This does not include the 61 students who have academy classes during this time.

Brianne Trotochaud is the Atom Time coordinator. She feels that many students have excepted the program and that it is running smoothly thus far.

Spanish teacher Bianca Mullins appreciates the new time she has to help students. In the past, her students that were failing were not always able to stay after school to receive some extra help.

“It really does help with remediation,” she said.

Not all students like the new time.

“I think it is not helpful because teachers have to be focused on students from different classes at the same time. The students are not one the same page,” senior Jordan Baldoceda said. He is an Atom in Good Standing.

During his allotted one hour every white day, Baldoceda goes to one of his teacher’s classrooms to do his homework. Even though this time gives him the opportunity to finish uncompleted work, he dislikes the lack of attention he receives from his teachers.

Ramy Bchara is an Atom Not in Good Standing. During every Atom Time, he must attend an assigned study hall. This is because his low grade did not qualify him to be a directed student. Bchara is not completely opposed to the idea of Atom Time.

“I think being in good standing is a reward in itself. But Atom Time is only good you are in good standing. Otherwise, it sounds like a punishment,” he said.

Senior Kaitlyn To’s case is more complicated. In her senior year, she is taking six IB courses and is serving as President of the National Math Honor Society. When she started struggling in one class, she began a Atom Not in Good standing, because her teacher did not require her to attend remediation. She was recommended to attend a mandatory study hall. Instead of attending a random study hall, she asked her counselor to list her as a directed atom so that she could receive remediation for the class she was struggling in.

“I thought, if I have to go somewhere, I’d rather go to the class I need help in,” To said. After she received help and fixed her grade, she was still stuck going to the remediation for that one class, even when she wanted to go to other classes.

“That doesn’t mean that’s the only class I need help in. I wanted to go to topics for the review session [before a test], and I talked to my directed teacher. She said that I could go, but she had to mark me absent because that is the school rule,” To said. “They need to change this.”

There have been a few unexpected issues with Atom Time during the first quarter, though Trotochaud says that there have been no major problems.

“One example is that we went from 30 students in study hall during cycle one to 178 students currently assigned to study hall in cycle two. Because of this we had to assign more classrooms for study halls and ask more teachers who do not have directed students to supervise them,” Trotochaud said. She says they will not make any major changes to the program until next year.