Chloe Yokitis
Editor
The start of the fourth quarter has brought along with it a slightly changed class schedule: instead of having the Titan PRIDE (Positive attitude, Responsibility, Integrity, Determination and Excellence) block with 3R and 4B teachers, ACHS students will instead spend this extra thirty minutes with their 1R and 2B teachers before switching to lunch or their next classes. Additionally, the PRIDE lessons have been replaced with activities from an entirely new curriculum.
According to a Canvas announcement from ‘ACPS Central Office’ that outlined both the new schedule and curriculum, the main reason for changing the schedule is to make each lunch block longer. This is an attempt at a “compromise with students” between the current block scheduling and the proposal for a universal extended lunch period, which was planned to take effect at the beginning of third quarter but ultimately canceled.
“We, as a school, value students. We see you. We hear you, and we hear your input. This is why we’ve rearranged the school day’s schedule in order to extend the lunch block while still preserving class time. We hope that this is something that the entire Alexandria community can stand behind,” the announcement read.
The announcement, however, failed to mention that the new schedule only brings two more minutes of lunch. Each lunch block will now be 38 minutes, compared to the prior schedule’s 36 minutes. PRIDE time will also be extended by 2 minutes in order to accommodate the new curriculum.
The original PRIDE curriculum, called RULER, drew criticism from students and teachers that the content was not relevant to high schoolers. PRIDE time and its accompanying RULER program have been replaced by a new framework called SHAME.
SHAME, an acronym for Sarcastic, Hateful and Awkward Me, was developed by psychology researchers at Princeton University. It aims to take an honest approach to helping teenagers find their voices.
“A person’s high school years are perhaps their most formative years of all,” reads the curriculum’s website. “SHAME is meant to enhance education’s role in experiencing that volatile yet extraordinary time.”
As Central Office stated in the announcement, students heavily criticized PRIDE because they felt lessons were more fitted for “preschoolers rather than young adults.” SHAME was chosen specifically to address this issue. It went through a testing period where student government representatives participated in lessons and provided feedback.
Class of 2024 President London Gellar said she thinks students will relate to SHAME lessons more than PRIDE lessons.
“I never really meshed with PRIDE. I pretty much always felt like I was putting on a show whenever I participated. The only time I actually enjoyed PRIDE was when we compared our least favorite ice cream flavors. I really felt myself making, you know, real, genuine, authentic connections with my classmates. And that’s really what SHAME is all about,” she said. “Most of the SHAME lessons focus on the journey to discovering that on the inside, we are all insecure and bitter. That’s who I am— that’s who we all are— and there’s no use hiding it when we can be opening up to each other and really making connections.”
Gellar said another primary component of SHAME is including time to watch Titan Morning Announcements (TMA), the daily announcements show produced by the Television and Media Production classes.
“When they first told leadership about the SHAME proposal, there was no time for TMA built in. I mean, I was livid! Watching TMA with your classmates is honestly one of the most community-building things you can do. Without TMA, there is seriously no hope for any progress. I just have no idea what [administration was] thinking. Regardless, we fought back, and there will be TMA time during SHAME,” Gellar said.
Principal Beet Palace said that, as a result of the curriculum change, there will be new rules for TMA to adhere to. TMA must adapt to the SHAME standards or risk losing funding and, worse yet, the privilege of being played during the SHAME period.
“We are looking forward to beginning negotiations with TV students about SHAME standards,” he said. “The TMA kids can certainly be forces to be reckoned with. But at the end of the day, we all respect each other, so I think it will end up working out in the end.”
Featured graphic by Chloe Yokitis for Theogony
