This year, 3140 implemented a new bell schedule on Tuesdays and Fridays of every week after the third period. This bell schedule is called “flex.”

 Flex period is a time to collaborate with other students and work on assignments that you need extra time on. Academic help is very much needed for students at Berlin, but it is sometimes hard to seek it due to different personal schedules. 

   Due to this issue, Berlin now has a schedule that solves both problems. If someone needs help from a teacher, they can go into their room during flex as long as they have a pass. On the other hand, if someone needs more time on an assignment, they can work on it in their third period teacher’s room during flex.

   “I find flex periods useful because it gives me more time inside of school to stay caught up on all my work,” Varsity soccer player Ella Dusenberry ‘27 said.

   Being an athlete at 3140 can often take up a lot of students’ lives. Which then leaves less time for the academic aspect of Berlin. Flex has been a great tool to bypass these issues.

   However, some days there will be events going on during flex that certain students will need to attend. For example, on the last Tuesday of each month there will be a guest speaker for all of the athletes at Berlin. On Fridays some weeks students gather for pep rallies, and other events that can take place of academic flex time.

   “During flex, I typically go to one of my teacher’s rooms to ask for help on some problems for that class. On the last Tuesday of the month, I usually go to events that are scheduled in the main gym. I also have Claw team meetings during that time so we can plan our presentations for the freshman,” Christina Drakeford ‘27 said.

   But sometimes flex isn’t the most useful when it comes to days where students may have big assessments.

   “I find flex days unhelpful on test days since I have less time to complete my tests or quizzes than I would on a non-flex day,” Drakeford ‘27 said.

   There are many reasons why students think flex is an advantage or disadvantage of time at Berlin. Students at Berlin have different preferences for how they use their time, so it is hard to find something that suits everyone.