In previous years, those who happened to be at W.F. West High School between 6:45 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. on any given weekday would have heard music from the school’s jazz band and choir sounding through the halls.
This year, with zero hour cut from the Chehalis School District’s master calendar, W.F. West’s halls were quieter in the early mornings.
But as of October, 14 Jazz Band and West Singers participants are back to practicing before their first period classes a couple of days a week.
“It is not a zero hour class, but morning is what works best for the students that are involved,” said Assistant Superintendent Trisha Smith during a presentation at a Chehalis School Board meeting on Tuesday, adding, “We worked collaboratively … to make sure we had a good plan to compensate the teachers and also a way to allow students that are involved to earn credit if that’s what they wish to do.”
How the loss of zero hour would impact Jazz Band and West Singers was the primary concern raised by community members in June when the district announced its decision to cut that early morning class period for the upcoming year.
“The impact on Jazz Band and West Singers was evident in our community, especially hearing from our current and former music students with concerns,” Smith said. “In the end, we were all in agreement that we wanted to see our music program rebound after these past few years, and to be a place for music students to excel.”
The district’s decision to cut zero hour from the school’s master schedule stemmed from declining enrollment districtwide and subsequent need to reconfigure the district’s full-time employees (FTE), Smith previously told The Chronicle.
Enrollment in zero hour classes — which include Jazz Band, West Singers and weightlifting — in particular has steadily declined since 2018, with spring 2022 enrollment coming in at 50% of 2018 enrollment numbers, according to Smith.
Masking restrictions related to COVID-19 that made it difficult for students to sing and play their instruments were a significant reason behind that enrollment drop, Smith said.
“Numbers-wise, I think we’re still falling behind,” she said Tuesday. “We have grown our strings (program), because you can wear a mask and still play your instrument, but we’re hoping by kind of featuring and focusing on our middle school students, we can build those (other music programs) back up.”
