While most students are in class for all seven periods of the day, some leave school early to pursue other interests such as internships, sports programs and arts programs.
An abbreviated schedule is defined by MCPS as a schedule in which a student does not have one or more periods during the school day for which a credit is being earned. Abbreviated schedules can be granted for educationally related programs outside of school, medical conditions or financial need. All schedules must be approved by the school principal.
According to resource counselor Robin Moore, abbreviated schedules at CHS are done on a case-by-case basis and differ for each individual student. The most common situation where an abbreviated schedule is needed is either when a student has a medical problem, like a concussion or an out-of-school program usually involving sports.
Some students also leave school for internships, which is a separate option from the abbreviated schedule.

According to the CHS website, in order to become an intern, students must maintain regular attendance, be at the internship 10-to-15 hours a week, call the internship site when not able to attend, maintain a timesheet, keep a daily log, attend seminars once weekly during lunch, complete specified written assignments and prepare a presentation relating to the internship experience each semester.
“I think being an intern is a great way for seniors to get real life work experience that will greatly benefit them down the road,” Internship Coordinator Jamie Collins said. “They will be making contacts and references that they can use to help get into college or use for jobs. There is a lot of networking that happens for interns that can give them a leg up on the competition when they leave college and look for their first job.”
Many students have utilized this opportunity to pursue their interests outside of school while still earning credit during the school day.

Angelique Nagovskaya

Junior Angelique Nagovskaya comes to CHS for her morning classes and goes to Albert Einstein High School in the afternoon for their nationally recognized visual arts center (VAC).
She applied last year, and the process included an interview and sending in her art pieces. She was accepted to the program and had to work out the cross-schedule with her counselor.
“I had the option of completely transferring to Einstein or cross-scheduling, so I decided to cross-schedule, because I am also part of the Visual Arts Academy at Churchill and wanted to graduate from a highly ranked school like CHS,” Nagovskaya said.
She is currently taking a triple period of AP 2-D design at Albert Einstein. She drives there at the end of fourth period to get there by the start of sixth. It is about a 25-30 minute drive, so she usually has time to drive home and eat lunch.
According to Nagovskaya, it can get difficult because she works four days a week to pay for car insurance and gas to be able to attend the VAC.
“I definitely am planning on majoring in art and going to art school. My life revolves around art, and it is something [that is] very important to me,” Nagovskaya said. “It gives me a lot of independence since I am constantly busy and do not have to rely on my mom for money or rides.”

Ava Durant

Sophomore Ava Durant leaves school after seventh period to attend a professional training program at the Washington School of Ballet in DC.
Durant has to leave school early due to the fact that the ballet school is far away and it takes her a while to prepare for class. She is in ballet class every day from 3:30-7:30 p.m.
“It was really easy,” Durant said of the process of obtaining an abbreviated schedule. “I just talked to my counselor about my situation as a ballet dancer and she gave me some forms to fill out and she modified my schedule. I really didn’t have to do much work.”
According to Durant, she still feels that she is challenging herself enough as she is able to take six academic courses. She even struggles to complete all of her homework and study because of how late she arrives home every night.
Durant has been dancing since she was 4 years old and has been classically dancing since she was eight.
“Dancing is kind of an escape from the stress of school and other hardships, and it makes me feel happy and alive,” Durant said. “Dancing provides me with strength, ability and a good daily exercise routine. It also helps me sharpen my mind and memory, since I have to work hard to be attentive to choreographic detail.”

Sara Fink

Senior Sara Fink has an abbreviated schedule, which allows her to work at Strathmore Elementary School in a classroom designed for children with moderate to severe special needs. She leaves after sixth period and will leave after fourth next semester.
“All of my students are non-verbal, but they all have such amazing personalities and so much potential,” Fink said.
Having a shortened schedule benefits Fink immensely as she gains real life experience in a field she is passionate about pursuing.
“I love having an abbreviated schedule,” Fink said. “I plan to study special education in college. It’s always been my passion and plan for a very long time. I’m learning so much more in my internship that cannot be taught in a CHS classroom.”

Bella Estes

Sophomore Bella Estes dances 18 hours a week, five days a week at Maryland Youth Ballet. She misses eighth period every day because her classes in Silver Spring start at 2:30 p.m., the time school ends.
If she had an eighth period, she would have liked to take sign language. However, she doesn’t mind giving up taking a foreign language for ballet.
After dance, she tends to stay up late nights finishing homework, and has consequently gotten accustomed this sleep schedule.
“Since I eventually want to dance professionally, not having an eight period gives me more time to achieve that,” Estes said.

Bella Estes

Senior Evani Seested leaves after fourth period for an internship at Easter Seals, a company that provides services to veterans, disabled children and senior citizens.
“I’m with human resources, so I work in the business side of it,” Seested said. “I love having a short schedule. I feel like I have time to actually work on stuff that could benefit me more. Adding this to my resume will look awesome for colleges and for getting a job afterwards. I only really need one credit to graduate, so I feel like this is a better use of my time.”
Although having an abbreviated schedule has its benefits, there are drawbacks for Seested.
“I actually get home later after work because I stay there for so long,” Seested said. “It’s a far drive too, so that doesn’t help with timing. Work can also be stressful, but other than that, it’s a pretty good gig.”

Adam Gray
Senior Adam Gray plays golf 20 hours a week, seven days a week at Lakewood Country Club. This is his second year as the CHS Golf captain.
He was given his half schedule before this school year started because as a student athlete, his busy schedule is filled with golf practice and playing in the highest level of junior tournaments for the American Junior Golf Association. He also has the best scoring average in all of Montgomery County Public Schools this season.
He still has to do homework and study like any other student, but he only takes four classes and leaves at lunchtime.
He currently has offers from the University of Santa Clara, Rutgers University, High Point University, Seattle University, University of Rhode Island, Marquette University, University of Hartford, and Radford University.
“I hope that after playing golf in college that I will continue to play, in hopes of making the PGA Tour and playing professional golf for a living,” Gray said.

Evani Seested
Senior Evani Seested leaves after fourth period for an internship at Easter Seals, a company that provides services to veterans, disabled children and senior citizens.
“I’m with human resources, so I work in the business side of it,” Seested said. “I love having a short schedule. I feel like I have time to actually work on stuff that could benefit me more. Adding this to my resume will look awesome for colleges and for getting a job afterwards. I only really need one credit to graduate, so I feel like this is a better use of my time.”
Although having an abbreviated schedule has its benefits, there are drawbacks for Seested.
“I actually get home later after work because I stay there for so long,” Seested said. “It’s a far drive too, so that doesn’t help with timing. Work can also be stressful, but other than that, it’s a pretty good gig.”

Claire Frommer
Instead of going to eighth period every day, junior Claire Frommer goes to ballet class.
Ever since she was 3 years old, Claire has done ballet at Maryland Youth Ballet and continues to dedicate her time to class and rehearsals. To accommodate her ballet classes, Frommer has maintained a six-class schedule since sophomore year.
“Rehearsal is from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the weekdays, and on the weekends, it is about three hours,” Frommer said.
Frommer attends rehearsal every day during the week and returns home afterwards to complete her homework. Frommer also has to maintain a strict schedule during the week so she has time to complete all of her schoolwork after practice and get a decent amount of sleep.
While she already has a busy schedule with just rehearsal, it is during performance season when her schedule gets the most hectic.
“Around performance season, we’re performing every weekend, and it’s hard to find time for schoolwork and sleep,” Frommer said.
Frommer admits that she “doesn’t have much free time” since ballet and school take up a lot of her schedule. Even though she manages such a tight schedule, she is completely passionate about ballet.
“You can get your feelings out,” Frommer said. “It’s like the whole atmosphere of how you connect with everyone from the other dancers to the audience. I really love dancing.”