At the start of the 2025-26 school year, La Salle made several small but impactful changes to the schedule. 

For example, the start time on blue days moved from 9:15 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. 

Toward the end of last year, the administration was considering the idea of adding one lunch, leading to the current schedule shift. 

Vice Principal of Academics Ms. Kathleen Coughran and Dean of Students Ms. Kenzie D’Ambrosio helped design the change, with the main purpose behind the adjustment being to create time for one lunch. This would give all the students a shared lunch period as well as keep the 85-minute block. 

While a five minute difference may seem small, it had a broader impact on the school’s routine, such as what time Flex and lunch periods take place. Flex Time and most assemblies are now scheduled right after lunch, whereas they previously happened before lunch. 

“I think one lunch [affects] students the most because they are now trying to eat or get their food with the whole community,” Registrar Ms. Liz Staggs said. The shift to one lunch and adjusting class times has made a shared lunch period for all students to be together.

Ms. D’Ambrosio said that the new schedule has had a positive effect on students’ attendance, including a decrease in tardies compared to previous years. “What we actually have found is that the later the start time, the more tardies we end up having.” 

“We had to make some adjustments to how those days were set up,” Ms. D’Ambrosio said. “We put a lot of thought into it.”

For Ms. D’Ambrosio, one of the biggest challenges is trying to balance when one lunch would take place while still having classes at a spot that wouldn’t put too much stress on students. “Waiting till one o’clock to eat is really hard,” Ms. D’Ambrosio said, adding that the administration plans to keep monitoring how the schedule functions as the year goes on. “I think we are open to working on it, but wanting to give it some time.”

Despite the initial challenges, Ms. D’Ambrosio believes the 12 p.m. lunch is perfect, and she continues to support keeping lunch at that time as it fits well within the school day and allows students and teachers to maintain a balanced routine. “I personally love it,” she said. 

While Ms. D’Ambrosio appreciates the one lunch, she acknowledges that some students may have a harder time adapting to it. 

“When you’ve been used to one thing for a long time … it’s hard for something to be different,” she said. 

As the school year progresses, Ms. D’Ambrosio said that she plans to continue observing how the new schedule affects attendance, energy levels, and overall campus life. The five-minute change allowed the school to create time for the one lunch and move Flex Time to the afternoon, resulting in adjustments to the daily routine for students and staff.