The End of Tiger Time

The new school year brings a change in scheduling and specifically a change in Tiger Time. Before this year, Tiger Time was every Tuesday and Thursday. It was an extended lunch period that lasted an hour and a half. It gave students time to do their homework, meet with teachers, and have time to play with their friends. It’s been a product of DJDS for many generations until it suddenly stopped this school year. 

   Everyone is wondering where did Tiger Time go? Is it coming back? Are people happy about its absence? Tiger Time seems to have been around forever, so why now? We talked to the students, faculty, and Principle GT in order to find their take on Tiger Time. 

Megan Zitron, a DJDS Middle School science teacher, believes that this change is good due to the fact that before students were not using their time wisely, and now they are starting to learn the ‘consequences'. ‘’I am happy about it because parents pay a lot for this school and now they can get what they paid for,’’ said Zitron.

Jeremy Golubcow Teglasi, DJDS Upper Division principal, has some conflicting opinions about Tiger Time. “In some ways, I loved Tiger Time because it gave me lots of opportunities as a teacher to meet with my students,” said GT. “However, I also observed that many students didn't have much to do during Tiger Time.”

Dr. GT recognizes that from the perspective of many students, nothing could ever be better than having more free time. However, he also believes that students understand that it's our job as a school to try to engage them in meaningful and enriching activities.

“It felt off to me that we weren't able to make time for school-wide programs, staff advisory, extracurricular clubs, and a wide range of elective classes, but instead we were devoting so much of the week to Tiger Time,” said GT. In turn, Dr. GT believes that it is a better trade-off to be able to engage with students more compared to many not doing anything. 

 “ I am really sad that it is gone but I was not the most productive during that time,’’ said Tamar-Goldberg-Butler, DJDS 8th Grader.

WIth the start of a new principal and programming at DJDS for the 2023-2024 school year, it seems unlikely that Tiger Time will make a return. 

“I think that tiger time is gone because we were not productive with it,” said Michael Rafailov, DJDS Sophomore, along with many others. 

Correction: Oct. 19, 2023

A previous version of this article contained an error that read 'Tiger Time was everyday'; Tiger Time occurred on Tuesdays and Thurdays.