Cranston High School East students and members of the school and central administration were able to communicate with each other about a variety of subjects facing the school and the district on Friday during the school’s “Inquiring Minds” session.

The session, which included one student from each advisory period, covered topics such as the new block scheduling, attendance, testing, and lunch rotations. According to Heidi Blais, the librarian at Cranston East, students in each advisory period submitted questions that were addressed in the fall session and were addressed at Friday’s event. She added that the administration asked questions to students, creating “good communication between students and administrators.”

Isa Tejada, Cranston East’s dean of students, said questions were “general” and about how things are run at the school. She said the session is a way to see what students are concerned with.

Most of the questions and comments were focused on the new block scheduling that went into effect this school year. According to Principal Sean Kelly, block scheduling was needed to implement internship opportunities for upperclassmen. He said that those hosting the internships needed the same time period every day rather than a rotating schedule.

According to Leslie Conley, a guidance counselor at Cranston East, the school has partnered with CCAP for internships. The organization ran two weeklong sessions for work skills readiness last month.

“It was just available to seniors, but now after vacation, they’ll continue to run them every two weeks so underclassmen can sign up to take one of those,” Conley said. “Then that will lead to the possibility of job placement or internship placement.”

Kelly also said that since the students have completed their first semester of the school year, a survey had been sent out to them by James Dillon, executive director of student information services and data management for the district, seeking feedback about the new schedule.

One of the comments that a student had was about the workload and coursework in a class during block scheduling. She mentioned that if one day is missed of school, a student can miss a “good chunk of your education.”

Another point about the schedules that students brought up related to early graduation. According to Kelly, while they have not spoken about the subject yet, he realizes that coursework can be completed by the end of one’s junior year. He added that there are some obstacles that come into play with early graduation, such as age being a factor – some colleges and workplaces may not accept someone under 18 years of age. He also said that once a student receives a diploma, they can no longer participate in school activities because they are not a student at the school anymore.

The other main topic of discussion covered at the session was attendance. Attendance was a key point in Kelly’s “State of the School” address, and he brought up points about goals for the new semester going forward.

“Attendance is a huge thing, because if you’re not here, you can’t work,” Kelly said.

He said that to face the attendance issue, school officials are going to be focusing on both those who are frequently absent and those who come to school on a regular basis, such as those who earn the perfect attendance and principal’s attendance distinctions. He said frequent absences are address through a phone call home in first-time cases. If absences continue, a letter is sent home, and then a meeting is sought.

“It comes down to recognizing that education is important,” Kelly said.

It was also suggested that students can speak to their friends about going to school and helping them in struggling classes.

With regard to testing, the PSATs and SATs were a topic of discussion. Managing time during certain test sections was brought up as well. It was mentioned that the school’s library page has a tab for PSAT/SAT prep, which is still being set up. It includes links to videos and websites for prep. Khan Academy is also a resource for test prep.

According to Conley, the “Inquiring Minds” group has been a part of the changes around the school, such as the express lunch line in the school’s senior cafeteria, the microwave in the senior cafeteria and the new line in the main cafeteria. She said that the students are the base of ideas and knowledge.

“What is always so inspiring is what the kids come up with,” she said.

According to Blais and Conley, the school will be hosting another discussion session in the spring.