Hayes recently introduced Power Hour in order to provide students with additional homework help.
Power Hour is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. in the LRC. During Power Hour, students can receive help from a few different teachers in subjects such as English and math.
In addition to one-on-one instruction, students can also get a snack and a bus ride to their home elementary school.
According to math teacher Denise Luksic, Power Hour has been mostly focused on math and English in order to help students prepare for state testing, but other subjects, such as social studies and science, will be added after testing is done.
Luksic also said Power Hour is primarily intended to provide students with homework help in case they don’t have enough time during school.
“A lot of students have study halls this year, but you might not have a study hall with a teacher who can help you with math or with English or something you might need some targeted help on,” Luksic said. “It’s to try to fill those gaps we might have from last year and give students a boost in their academics for this year.”
Last year’s hybrid schedule reduced students’ time in the classroom and teachers’ time teaching and working with students.
“I really missed being able to provide time for in-class practice. We delivered the notes pretty much like we would have in a normal year. We got through almost the same amount of content, but we had to say, ‘Now practice at home,’” Luksic said. “So students didn’t have that time to practice with us in the room, and so, the amount of practice that got done and the quality of the practice, I can bet was very different than it would have been otherwise.”
With Power Hour, students can work directly with teachers on certain subjects.
“[The hybrid schedule] brought down my learning cause I couldn’t ask the teachers whenever I needed help,” freshman Chastity Compton said. “It really helps to have one on one [instruction].”
For students like senior Alex Zoller, Power Hour also provides structure as it allots time for them to do their homework.
“I don’t really have any motivation to do stuff at home,” Zoller said.
Even though Power Hour is relatively new, students like sophomore Marcus Talley said they’ve benefited a lot from it.
“I feel like it helps me a lot to understand what I really need help with,” Talley said. “For instance, the math part of Power Hour helps me understand different parts of geometry that I didn’t know before.”
Talley says that he was really excited when the school first introduced Power Hour and that he likes that the school is trying to help students with their homework. He also encourages other students to take part in it.
“It would be a really good idea for you to come and join Power Hour because if you ever need help with math, English or you just need help with anything, come down to power hour and you can get help from teachers that are here or you can also get help from the students,” Talley said.
Due to December’s busy schedule, Power Hour will not be in session for the rest of the semester, but is expected to resume in January.
Although the Power Hour initiative is still in its early stages, Luksic said she’s excited to see more students come and take advantage of it.
“It’s a great additional resource if you’re having trouble in any of those classes that we’re targeting,” Luksic said. “Take advantage of having an additional teacher [who] might be able to help you with what you’re having trouble with.”