Block Scheduling Begins; Saieva 'Excited'

Classes at kick off Wednesday with two major changes—a new principal at the helm, and a reworked course format.

Nicole Saieva will , replacing . Saieva will oversee the implementation of block scheduling, an overhaul that has students .

For Saieva, the transition is not entirely unfamiliar. She was principal of for five years prior; before that, she worked four years as an assistant principal at Nyack High School, and as a teacher in the district, too.

"I've been back and forth," Saieva said. "I consider myself very fortunate and lucky—I know the building and faculty, but the real gift is knowing the students and families."

Saieva will be working with now-high school seniors who she knew as sixth graders.

The new block scheduling format——will have pupils taking 56-minute classes. Once every five days, classes return to a nine-period, 41 minute schedule.

"We're excited," Saieva said, noting the extra time allows teachers to add more variety to their lessons.

Coupled with block scheduling is another first—a unified lunch period for all students. To prepare, school officials spent the summer updating the cafeteria; what was once a teachers' lounge is now an eating area for the students, Saieva said.

"There's been a lot of renovation, a lot of change," she added.

And though the official start date is today, students have been trickling in for band practice and athletic training for days.

"We're really looking forward to the start of school," Saieva said.