By Theo Butler ‘25

At an assembly toward the end of the 2023-24 school year, the Catlin Gabel School (CGS)’ upper school students were introduced to a new schedule for the subsequent school year. Some of the standout features of this new schedule were moving the Flex Block from the end of the day on Wednesday to right after lunch on Thursday and changing the time of the co-curricular times (Co-Cus) on Mondays and Fridays.

In past years, the first Co-Cu of the day would take place right after lunch, giving anyone without a club or meeting during that time a long lunch, while the second Co-Cu took place after the last regular block of the day, often acting as an early dismissal or a time to do homework for those with after-school activities.

This new schedule put both of these Co-Cus back-to-back right before lunch and after break, meaning that if a student didn’t have any clubs that met then and didn’t schedule anything then, they effectively had two hours and ten minutes of free time in the middle of the day. This, alongside the new Flex Block time, meant that students felt more comfortable going off campus during their long lunches because they were even longer than they were in the previous years. Many students enjoyed these longer times and saw them as providing both social and educational benefits, as the long stretches of time made it easy to sit down and do homework for an extended period.

With only a few weeks left in the first semester, an announcement was made at an assembly that C&C on Mondays and Fridays was going to be moved in between the two Co-Cus. This came as a surprise to many students and faculty alike who liked having this long time to do work and socialize and didn’t see any reason to get rid of it.

The initial reason given was to improve club attendance, as described by John Harnetiaux, stating, “We wanted more than anything for Co-Cu A and Co-Cu B actually be used for clubs and activities.”

Many students say that this hasn’t happened, some even saying that it has done the opposite. Many students feel that the new timing for C&C has little positive impact. One anonymous student said, “It disrupts my ability to focus and get work done because I have less time. I usually need to be able to talk to my friends for a bit and then start doing work. I would love it if they changed it back.”

*Results from a survey about the New C&C time.*
*Photo by Theo Butler ‘25*

When asked about the results of the new C&C time, Harnetiaux said, “I have heard anecdotally from some clubs that they’re seeing more attendance, especially for Co-Cu A”. He also commented on how placing a period right before or after lunch almost always results in students using it to extend their lunch.

Although there have been some times when clubs have seen an improvement in their attendance thanks to this new timing, it seems that many students aren’t feeling this impact, some even suggesting that it has been causing other problems, with one anonymous student saying “[The new schedule] forced people to come together in Dant which has caused problems with the freshman lounges.”

We will have to see what the school decides to do for next year's schedule and if this new C&C timing will stick around. In the interview with Harnetiaux, he also mentioned that other times were suggested for C&C, so we may even see something completely new in the future.

Has the new C&C time had its intended effect?