Arundel High suspends lauded lunch program

Arundel High School's innovative hour-long lunch period has been suspended because students generally refused to use the time as intended - for academics, school officials said.

Some students piled trash in the hall and even spoke to teachers using profanity, officials said.

But not all the students were unruly and now students are mobilizing to change Principal Sharon Stratton's mind. They say they need that hour and can behave better.

"It was really something I was starting to depend on to get me through senior year," said Brian Brown, 17, who said he used the hour for rehearsing in the band room and getting help in his advanced science classes.

The extended lunch period, named "Wildcat Hour" after the school's mascot, was created last spring. Instead of having four separate lunch periods, as is the case in other county high schools, all students had a free block of time in the middle of the day when they could work with teachers, finish homework or meet with clubs.

The extra study time boosted Arundel's mean grade point average .92 points to 2.84, on a 4.0 scale, Ms. Stratton said. Educators both inside and outside the county lauded the change, and some other county high schools, including Severna Park, eyed the program to possibly copy it.

But this year, students began abusing what the school viewed as a privilege, officials said. Few used the time for schoolwork, and more began leaving lunch trash in the hallways. When teachers reprimanded them, some students responded with profanity and disrespect, they said.

After several warnings, Ms. Stratton suspended Wildcat Hour on Nov. 7.

Almost immediately, her e-mail inbox was flooded with requests by students and parents asking her to reinstate it. Within hours, a discussion group named "Bring Back Wildcat Hour" appeared on the social networking Web site Facebook, and 400 students joined.

Posted suggestions included reducing the trash buildup by designating classrooms where students are allowed to eat lunch. Others discussed a possible silent protest and nominated leaders to lobby Ms. Stratton, said Arundel junior Alex Walcutt, 16.

"She knows how much we need Wildcat Hour," he said. "But we can't have it with the problems we have."

Parents also are mobilizing. In a mass e-mail, Lisa Elliot, president of Arundel's Parent-Teacher-Student Organization, asked parents to volunteer at the school during lunch periods, hoping their presence might keep students in line. And a PTSO meeting following the announcement was packed with concerned parents, said Arundel parent Ralph Nelson.

"Wildcat Hour is a fantastic thing," Mr. Nelson said. "It allows students to do more than they ever would have. Do I think they need to find a way to bring it back? Absolutely, but that's up to the students."

Ms. Stratton said she has been impressed with her students' quick response, their leadership and the problem-solving skills they've exhibited in lobbying to get that hour back. Hundreds have now brought forward suggestions for fixing the problems with Wildcat Hour, she said. If it indeed returns to Arundel, it likely will include some of those changes, she said.

"This has been a very good growing experience for everyone at the school," Ms. Stratton said. "It's a hurt, but it's a positive hurt."