This is the first year that Walpole High School is using Flexisched, a site that allows students to signup for quiet study halls in the library, for extra-help with teachers or to make up any work that one might have missed. Guidance counselors also use the website as a way to sign their students up to present them with seminars or talk to the students about anything that they might need. Opinions on the site vary for students and teachers, as some feel it is productive and others feel it is an annoyance.

“[Flexisched allows] the kids to be able to go to intervention and Flex into the library properly and find other places for quiet settings other than being in the cafeteria, and it works very well in that capacity,” Student Support Liaison Keith Tompkins said.

The site also decreases the amount of wandering through the halls during studies and provides kids with more options on how to spend their free block.

“[Flexisched organizes] kids and gives them another option rather than a large cafeteria or a small classroom setting,” Tompkins said.

The site has had some positive reactions from the student body. Many students use the site to schedule exams and quizzes with faculty during their studies. Some use it to seek enrichment and leisure activities such as reading in the library, art extra help and academic consultation.

“I love Flexisched. It lets me sign into art studies and seek extra help in almost any of my classes. It’s really easy to take tests and quizzes I’ve missed,” sophomore Grace Healy said.

"[Flexisched organizes] kids and gives them another option rather than a large cafeteria or a small classroom setting," Tompkins said.

The site has become a helpful tool for some students. With one click of a mouse, students are able to seek help from teachers.

“I once used Flexisched to seek extra help from my chemistry teacher before an exam. It helped a lot,” sophomore Timothy Flynn said.

Some staff have applauded the site for giving students the opportunity to complete assignments in quiet spaces like the library.

“Some students use Flexisched to sign into library study and actually do work, which is a good thing,” librarian Lori Morrier said.

The site is not completely perfect yet, as some students have found errors in Flexisched’s functionality. Some vouch for a real-time update feature so that it is more fluid, because in order for faculty to see if someone has just flexed in, the user has to restart the page. Some teachers also find that students are not using the site to seek intervention and aid from the teachers.

“I think it could be very useful for students, but some of them just haven’t used it to their best advantage,” math teacher David St. Martin said.

The site features a grid schedule for a student’s studies on any school today. Students have the options to seek academic intervention, enrichment, leisure time in the library and school counseling. The website proves itself to be a handy tool for students, but some believe there must be an app to improve usability.

“I wish there was a mobile app. It’s not ideal to always have it on the Chromebook. [Students] need a [smartphone] app so they can just tap and go to their studies,” Morrier said.

"I think it could be very useful for students, but some of them just haven't used it to their best advantage," math teacher David St. Martin said.

Some teachers think the lack of a mobile application has made it difficult for students to use. Along with other administration, school librarian Deborah Jordan believes the site should be more simple and easy to use.

“It’s Flexisched, it should be flexible,” school librarian Deborah Jordan said.

Although Flexisched is not entirely perfect yet, it provides many opportunities for teachers to help their students learn and for students to enhance their education. The main purpose of the tool is to provide students with easier opportunities to get help and to study, and Student Support Liaison, Keith Tompkins, believes it reaches that goal.

“Flexisched still has its quirks that we’re trying to iron out,” Student Support Liaison Keith Tompkins said.

The student and staff opinions on Flexisched are both positive and negative: some students see the site as a helpful tool while others find it a hindrance. All in all, the future of Flexisched is to be determined at Walpole High.

"It's Flexisched, it should be flexible," school librarian Deborah Jordan said.