Hurry up and get to class; it’s already 5:55!

This fall, Eagles have struggled to stay on time as the old square clocks in every hallway and classroom were several minutes off the bell schedule, then stuck at 5:55, then turned off.

This is because of the new and unique alarm system that the school has set up. At the beginning of the year, the old system — built with the school around 1980 — was still connected to the school, making it hard to set up the new system to fully function.

According to Principal Jennifer Courtney, the old clocks are surprisingly difficult to fix and almost impossible to get lined up with the new bell system. They are also embedded into the walls, which makes them very difficult to remove without expensive renovation.

To fix the problem, Principal Courtney ordered new “old school” radial clocks at a total cost of around 3,500 dollars. 

However, these clocks won’t be permanent. As the construction period ends near the end of next school year, Big Sky will be getting a complete upgrade. There will be new digital clocks and a permanent replacement for the bell. The bell will be in every classroom as the new system begins to fully function.

Another complication for students trying to tell the time is the phone policy implemented on the first day of school, which states that students are not allowed to have their phones out at all, including passing periods for the duration of the school day (see phone policy, page 17).

Students have voiced their frustration and believe that the phone policy should be disregarded until the clocks work again. An anonymous student says that knowing the time is an important aspect of their daily life. “Since we’re not allowed to have our phones, it makes me somewhat stressed because knowing the time is what makes my life organized.” 

Junior student Vegas Longtree Bearcub also adds that the phone policy is irrational. He says “It’s not fair to make students have no way of checking the time and expect them to be on time.” 

Teachers also agreed with the students and their argument, voicing concern for their students and their school life without the function of clocks. And although the phone policy may seem harsh, it’s necessary for students to stay on task. 

This isn’t the first time that Big Sky’s clocks have given us trouble. Last year, students came to school to find that the clocks were almost four minutes fast. At the time, Assistant Principal Cameron Johnson said the clocks had previously been controlled by a remote wireless system connected to a phone. When that system broke, it became impossible to fix without calling in an outside contractor, which took a few weeks.