By: Aalia Akbarali and Miley Otobe

Flex Friday gives students the opportunity to take a break from their normal class schedule and spend time exploring different workshops and learning more hands-on ways to dig into their interests. Upperclassmen have expectations and past experiences about what they may get to experience during workshops from the flex Fridays they have attended over the years, while freshmen may come with differing expectations for what a flex Friday might be like for them.

For students who had never participated in a Flex Friday before, there were plenty of questions leading up to it. What would the day be like? Would it be fun? Would it live up to the students’ expectations? And most importantly, would it be enjoyable?

Many students look forward to Flex Friday because it gives them a chance to learn from other speakers outside of a regular classroom setting. No matter your pathway, hands-on activities, workshops, and experiences connected to careers is the norm on these Fridays.

After being asked what to expect during Flex Fridays, Emily Cautin [10] stated that she is “expecting super fun and hands-on workshops” based off her Healthcare flex Fridays from her freshman year.

Our new 9th graders were able to share what they thought after experiencing Flex Friday for themselves. Before their first Flex Friday, some freshmen were unsure about what to expect, while others were excited to try something different from a normal school day.

Jewel Alexander [9] said that she was a little worried that “Flex Fridays would be confusing and harder to navigate,” compared to the normal school schedule. Following the schedule in the event website made everything much clearer!

After participating, the two described the workshops they attended and what they enjoyed about them. Both Cautin and Alexander liked being able to do more interactive activities and spend time learning about topics that interested them. As they continue attending Flex Fridays for year, they’re hoping for an even wider variety of workshop choices and more time for activities.

Keagen Gillespie [9] said that he thinks “Flex Friday will help me better understand the skills I may need in the future” and “give me an opportunity to explore different parts of the Healthcare, IT, and Engineering pathways.”

Similarly to Health Science, Engineering pathway students’ Flex Fridays are coming up, with upperclassmen stating how they are excited for the hands-on learning and interactive workshops.

Once the day arrived, students finally got the chance to see what Flex Friday was really about. Expectations can sometimes be very different from reality, especially when students are experiencing something new for the first time.

Trey Guy [10] said his actual Flex Friday experience was more hands-on than he initially expected and helped him understand what he would be doing in the IT pathway. “It was pretty hands-on,” Trey said. “It taught me a lot about what I’m going to be doing in the IT pathway, for example, coding because I learned a lot about coding.”

One of the most interesting parts of Flex Friday is that students can experience school in a different way than they normally do. Instead of following the usual routine, students have the opportunity to focus on something outside of their everyday classes and interact with classmates in a different environment. For some students, this change can make the school week feel more exciting. For others, it may leave them wishing certain parts of the experience were different.

Kosinda, reflecting on his previous Flex Friday experience, said he enjoyed the opportunity to have fun, experiment, and learn about new equipment. “I liked the Making Fun event we did last year. I think it was very interesting,” Logan said. “It’s just very new and I like how we get to experiment on that and we have different ideas.”

Of course, no new school program is going to be perfect for everyone. Students have different interests, personalities, and expectations, meaning their experiences with Flex Friday can vary. Hearing directly from students gives a better picture of what is working and what could potentially be improved.

Trey Guy [10] said he would like to see Flex Friday workshops cover more areas of IT instead of focusing mainly on coding.“I would make it, like, all workshops are different parts of IT because Flex Friday usually focuses on coding, which is not always the main part of IT,” Trey said.

Logan also said he would hope to see more hands-on opportunities, especially with the equipment. “Probably even more hands-on experiences because I wanted more of a chance to learn how to use the equipment,” Logan said. “They should just have more opportunities to use equipment.”

Even with different opinions, Flex Friday gives students something that a typical school day may not: an opportunity to step away from the normal routine. These experiences can help students discover new interests while creating memories with people they might not normally interact with.

As more students participate, Flex Friday will continue to become a bigger part of life at Innovation Academy. Whether students walk away loving it, wishing something were different, or simply surprised by what the day was like, one thing is certain: the best way to understand Flex Friday is to hear from the students who actually experienced it.

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