At Scituate High School, a half-hour period before the last class of the day is referred to as H-Block. This time is typically utilized by students to socialize, meet with teachers, attend club meetings, and complete homework. On Mondays, students meet with their homeroom, also known as home base, during H-Block, where they participate in advisory sessions. Students remain with the same homeroom throughout their high school years, promoting a lasting bond with their homeroom teacher and classmates.

Last year, SHS initiated the use of Enriching Students to be used during home base on Mondays. This software allowed students to schedule their location for H-Block for the week and request time with specific teachers. In addition, teachers could schedule students on their end for extra help. The program received mixed reviews because it caused some confusion with attendance and disrupted the ability to stay together as a homeroom throughout the year. Because students scheduled their week of H-Block activities on Mondays, everyone could stay organized; however, students complained when they were unable to change their schedule throughout the week. For example, if quizzes and tests were assigned later in the week, teachers were absent, or schedules needed to be moved around, students couldn’t reschedule their H-Block time. Another difficult component of Enriching Students was the need to log in with your email and password each time you entered the website. 

This year Enriching Students has been replaced with another app, MyFlexLearning, which interfaces with the SHS student management system, Aspen. Starting on Monday, September 19th, the new program was fully implemented at Scituate High School. MyFlexLearning’s software is intended to incorporate “flex blocks” and assist schools in scheduling students for this block. According to their website, “flex blocks” are commonly used for academic support, guidance, quiet study, club meetings, school-wide activities. Consequently, MyFlexLearning is more suitable for H-Block scheduling. In addition, SHS is utilizing this software to schedule special events such as “Splash Day” or “Stress Less, Laugh More” activities.

Prior to rolling out this new scheduling program, SHS administrators asked a small group of students to participate in a test run of this program. According to senior Julia Zegunia, one of the students who assisted during this preview exercise, MyFlexLearning allows you to message teachers through the app, which makes it better than Enriching Students. Junior Louisa Kinsley concurred, explaining that although it is similar to Enriching Students, MyFlexLearning is much more user-friendly. Senior Joe Masuret reported that the app is easier to navigate and more organized. Specifically, it is connected to Aspen directly, so students can see the teachers who have scheduled them for extra help. Kinsley added that the app sends notifications, and students don’t have to sign in every time, as they did for Enriching Students.

According to SHS assistant principal Bill Luette, MyFlexLearning is being well-received, and the administration is working out some of the “bugs” that occur any time a new system is introduced. As an example, students who have not signed up for H-Block activities using MyFlexLearning have been notified by their homebase teachers and SHS administrators early in the week. When asked if he had a message for these students, Luette smiled and said, “Use it! It works!”

In the coming months, MyFlexLearning’s effectiveness will be tested, but its future looks bright, as it has already been met with a positive first impression.