Compass time is changing this year

Owatonna High School has begun the 2022-23 school year with a new Compass schedule. Last year, Compass Days started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 1:05 p.m. However, this year, school will start at 8:25 a.m. and end at 1:50 p.m. on Compass Days. Career Pathways will also be changing this school year. Even with these changes, Compass Days will still focus on the three OT’s: on time, on task and on target. 

One change for students is Career Pathways which also includes new Compass advisers. This year, students will be placed with different teachers by grade level and depending on what career or interests they want to follow in the future. Counselor Ms. Amy Lageson said, “The goal for upperclassmen to be in a Compass Pathway is to provide a couple of sessions throughout the year, specific activities, or discussion in the pathway they are interested in.” Students from grades 11 and 12 can choose from three career pathways: health and human services, business and communications and engineering and manufacturing. Even though they are broad career pathways, they will help students know what area they want to work in. 

One of the reasons for the change was because only some students utilized the time wisely, while others did not. Principal Kory Kath said, “Our F rates from the year before having Compass to this year actually did not change much.” However, there was a huge growth in college and career fairs and club meetings. Kath said, “We have seen a huge surge in the number of students that are attending our college and career fair and other exposures to specific careers as well as the number of people joining clubs and activities that are meeting during those times.”

Last year’s Compass times students were and are still able to seek help from teachers, make up assignments or tests or meet with clubs. But last year, students also had a lot more time to practice their extracurriculars. Senior Emily Jacobs said, “I think that students looked forward to more time to decide what they wanted to do before or after school.” Many students looked forward to the early release on Compass Days as they could go home. But unfortunately, there was a significant amount of people who were being unproductive during Compass times. Due to this compass times have now changed. 

The new Compass times have caused quite the stir from students. Many are questioning why the times have changed and what it will do to students who need help if they don’t understand something or they have missed school days and they need to make up homework, quizzes, tests and labs. Jacobs said, “I think that it makes it more difficult to take a test during the bigger chunk of Compass time because there is not enough time to take a longer type of test.” Even though the times of Compass days have been shortened, the program is still beneficial for students. The next compass day will be on Oct. 5.