FLEX FRIDAY is a new thing Granger High School has added to the school this year. Initially it was done only once a month in spring of 2023, then it changed to every Wednesday and Thursday starting in September. Now it has turned into Friday Flex. It is a 40-minute period where Lancers get the chance to improve their grades and interact with their teachers for extra help from 8:20 to 9:00 a.m. each Friday.

Students get a ‘Flex Time Ticket’ each Thursday before during 4th period, indicating if a teacher has requested them for extra time to help them. Lancers can also ask their teachers to have them requested if they feel they need that extra help. If students’ teachers decide that the student is all caught up then they get extra time in the morning to do whatever they feel necessary whether it’s extra sleep, breakfast, etc. and they don’t need to show up until first period at 9 am.

“I go to Flex Time because it’s a good time to communicate with my teachers and improve my grades and I think it’s very helpful,” Emily Velasco (12) said.

There have been different opinions on whether it’s better now as Flex Friday or if it was better when it was twice a week, Wednesday and Thursday. Velasco says that she liked Flex Time better when it was on Wednesdays and Thursdays because she had longer lunches. Students who weren’t requested by a teacher attended both first and second lunches.

“I liked it better when it was once a month or twice a month, but I don’t think it should be done every Friday,” Velasco said.

Teachers also have various opinions on when and how Flex Friday should work.

“I really like Flex Fridays because I have a lot of students who can’t come before or after school and I like Flex Time as a way for them to get the extra help or do makeup work or retakes and it provides flexibility for the students,” Ms. Jensen said.

Many Lancers don’t have the time to come before or after school because they don’t have rides or because they have extracurricular activities or jobs. For these students, Flex Time provides an opportunity for students who need some extra help.

Ms. Jensen thinks that this Flex Time schedule on Fridays is a good idea and better than the prior schedules because it helps her stay on track with her other classes.

Surveys were given to both students and teachers after the first couple times of trying out each schedule to get opinions from all different sides. Granger High School’s administration was very flexible with the schedules and decided on what was best for both students and teachers.

Going to Flex Time Fridays also provides an extra opportunity for CPA makeup. Each time a Lancer attends a Flex Time, it improves their CPA. Initiatives like this from the administrators have been successful, and the Flex Friday attendance rate has improved and helped many students out to get closer to graduation!