ACE is the new Soar program that will allow students to leave advisory and visit teachers that they need to see. Advisory is the first 45 minutes of Soar, where teachers lead students through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, get any preliminary work done and have a brain break. After the 40 minutes is up, there is a six minute transition period, where students can go to the teacher they’re “soaring out” to. The rest of fourth period is either spent with your new teacher that you soared out to, or the same teacher you’ve always had.

The main difference between SOAR in previous years and soar this year is that if not visiting another teacher, students stay with the same teacher for all of fourth period. Before school was canceled in March of 2020, the first half of soar was spent with soar teachers to catch up on any homework missed or to visit a new teacher to make up a test, quiz, or receive extra support in that class. Then, once the first 45 minutes of soar is up, all students rotate to one of their period classes and do work for that teacher. For example, the first soar of the year would have students transition to their first period class, then the next white day, soar would transition to their second period class. This year, students have the option to stay with the same teacher for 90 minutes. 

From a student perspective, there is a simple way to soar out.  First, the teacher the student is going to visit has to send an email to the student’s soar teacher, requesting their presence during the second half of soar. Then, the student’s soar teacher will write them a pass for that teacher during the 6 minute transition time. Before the student can go to their new teacher, a Google Form located in the “All School: Hayfield Secondary School” banner that says “ACE Attendance Form” must be filled out by the student or teacher..

From the teacher perspective, however, this is a long and complex process. Multiple emails between teachers and required forms make the process redundant and time consuming. These extra steps allowing students to soar out, take away from teachers time to grade work, respond to emails or help their own students. Not to mention that if a student wants to visit a teacher at the last minute, many times they are denied by their soar teacher, because the teacher they want to soar out to didn’t email them in time.