Diamond Bar High works tirelessly to create and implement changes around the school to make sure that students have a smooth journey. This year, I was surprised to find out that the formerly six-minute long passing periods have been extended, so that I now have an extra fifteen seconds to walk to my next class. When I heard about this change, my first instinct was to laugh derisively at the school. However, just a few seconds later, it dawned on me.

Fifteen seconds is actually quite a long time. In this precious period of time, I can finally try my locker combination for the third time or check my hair in a mirror without panicking about tardiness. So many times before, I’ve heard other students complaining about not having enough time to get to their next class. With this new adjustment in effect, I’m optimistic that there will be far less whining to be heard in the hallways.

The walk from the math building to the foreign language building is renowned among students for its distance. Some resort to running all the way across campus so that they will not be late for class. I myself, on many occasions, have missed the bell by just a few seconds.

In addition to being able to do things that I otherwise would not have been able to do, these fifteen seconds can also be used as a stress reliever. As a junior, this year will be the most academically challenging year. With multiple AP classes, afterschool activities and tons of homework to be done, the majority of us juniors are bordering on mental breakdowns. With this additional time, I can stop and take a deep breath to reduce my stress levels.

Never before had I realized that the passing periods needed to be longer. Previously, I had always considered issues like funding for the Prom Committee and lack of textbooks for classes to be more important, but now I realize that the school has taken care of a greater issue that I had never even thought of. It’s comforting to know that I attend a nationally ranked school in which problems are taken care of before I even take note of them.

Thinking back to my previously stressed out and panic-stricken self, I am more assured that this change was by far the best thing that could have ever happened for students. With this brilliant new modification already brightening my day, I am excited to experience the other novel changes that the administration might make to further facilitate my time at school. These fifteen seconds are truly an underappreciated gift to us students.