New additions to the Archmere schedule this year are Club Time Days, at the expense of last years’ designated Green Days. Among students, the loss of Green Days was a difficult one, as Club Time Days lack a flexible schedule, still include regular classes, and only allot 54 minutes for club meetings.

Students enrolled in multiple clubs are especially unsupportive of Club Time Days, as the short time period makes it near impossible to have effective and productive conferences with multiple clubs. Recently, The Green Arch sent out a survey to Archmere’s student body comparing Green Days and Club Time Days, and analyzing the preferences of Archmere students. Of the 171 students who replied, an overwhelming 90.6% of students preferred Green Days over Club Time Days. Seventy-sev- en percent of the same sampling of the student body claimed that Club Time Days need to provide more time for club meetings.

Students also complained about multiple schedule conflicts between the club meetings they wished to attend. Since Club Time Days only have one slot for a club meeting, all
clubs convene at the same time. This creates a problem for students who belong to numerous clubs, as they have to split the time between them or skip a meeting altogether. This prob- lem decreases the quality of meetings, because oftentimes only a fraction of the groups’ mem- bers are able to show up or stay for the entire meeting.

Green Days had many other positive aspects besides the amount of time for club meetings. Green Days provided students with a relaxed schedule with multiple blocks to fill with activities, study halls, or getting extra help from teachers. Additionally, Green Days were centered around Mass. With a looser schedule focused on time spent participating in the Catholic faith, the foundation of Archmere, we are able to appreciate the values upheld by a Catholic institution as a community. When Mass is held on days with regular schedules, it feels rushed and fails to create a reverent atmosphere, as many students and teachers are preoccupied with the classes they have right after Mass ends.

Club Time Days are incapable of providing sufficient time for clubs to meet and limit participation to one club per day for students with multiple commitments. Additionally, and most importantly, the lack of Green Days interferes with our appreciation for Mass as a Catholic school. Since we are a Catholic community, it should be expected that faith is the center of our mission, actions, and values. Therefore, faith should be what we devote our time to. Cramming Mass into students’ already overflowing regular schedule day defeats this purpose.

I encourage us, as the Archmere community, to reevaluate our priorities as a school of the Catholic faith and analyze the disadvantages of failing to place Mass at the center of our routines.