Change can often be beneficial; in this case, it is.

This year the resource centers have been moved from their usual rooms and into one place: the library. While opinions on the new Academic Resource Center, or “ARC” vary, we believe that the new, centralized academic resource center is a positive alteration.

With three subjects in one area, it allows students to easily and quickly get help in multiple subjects without the hassle of constantly having to move and hunt down other means of help. Manager of the ARC Rebecca Serra can agree that the new location makes getting help much easier.

“I think it’s very beneficial. It’s almost a one-stop shop for math, science and English. It’s a common ground rather than a classroom,”  Serra said.

The movement of the ARC was mainly for the benefit of students. Having two separate rooms for test taking and getting help allows for a more civilized environment, rather than the jungles of resource rooms we had last year.

“It’s not too loud during lunch hours; I’d say [it’s more loud] toward the end of the day. We do get a lot of walk-in students during lunch hours to do math corrections or just to get extra assistance and support,” Serra said.

Reassessment and test-taking is separated from the tutoring and extra help section of the ARC and is taken place in room 120, a room with close proximity to the library. With this meek yet beneficial separation, students are granted more peace and quiet while they try and concentrate.

“We wanted to have a more central location. Part of it is that there are more reassessments that happen.  It was difficult for retesting to happen in the same place that people were getting just help because it could be a distraction or whatever,” principal Paul Kelly said. “So we wanted to put people in an environment where it was just for that purpose.”

Students are involved in a multitude of activities, and their lunch hour is often their only free period to take advantage of academic resources. Retaking quizzes or going in for help, however, takes more time than is allotted in a given lunch period. With the ability to jump from one subject to another in the same area, students can maximize their time thanks to the many tutors, PALS  and teachers ready to help in the ARC.

Complaints stem from the fact that no one was properly informed about the new location of the resource centers, and there was much confusion about where to get extra help and take tests in the beginning of the year. While that may be true, new steps have been taken to inform students on the change. For example, announcements were made, signs were put up and teachers informed students. For anyone to say that they still were unaware of the ARC would be illogical.