Godwin takes to the stage

Godwin put on its very own production of Sister Act on May 5 and 7. 

The performance was advertised and anticipated by the cast and student body. 

Sister Act follows The 12 Angry Jurors performed by the Godwin theater program back in the fall.  

In comparison to the play in the fall, Sister Act  had a considerably larger main cast. The five main cast members and their roles in Sister Act  are as follows; Summer Serafim as Mother Superior, Shaily Pal as Deloris van Cartier and Mary Clarence, Carson Kolb as Joey, and Nicholas Stammer as Monsignor O’Hara.

“This was my first ever musical and I had the best experience! Everyone was so welcoming and overwhelmingly supportive. I am so glad and grateful to have been a part of Godwin theater during my last year of high school,” said Godwin senior and actor Shaily Pal. 

Schedule change on the horizon

Godwin High School may possibly make the switch from seven to eight classes for the 2023 – 2024 school year. 

Over the 2021-2022 school year, there has been inconsistency in schedules across Henrico County. Some highschools have seven classes while others have eight. 

Chief of Communications for Henrico County Public Schools, Eileen Cox said, 

“The discussion around a transition to a single schedule began in 2018. Since that time, principals, teachers, and participants from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory have provided input and feedback.”

After comparing the benefits of both schedules, Henrico County Public School (HCPS) leadership settled on the eight-block schedule. 

Some of those benefits include: flexibility to include work-based learning experiences in student schedules, allowing students time to recover credits for courses in subjects where previously they were unable to be successful, and opportunities for students to add more electives and/or enrichment activities in their schedule. 

“The plan is to expand the pilot to eventually include all schools before a final decision is made,” said Cox.

Prior to transferring all high schools to this schedule, several high schools were elected to pilot this schedule change. Currently there are three schools, Hermitage, Henrico, and Varina High School, in the pilot program. Due to the evaluation of their results, it has been decided that two additional schools, Highland Springs and Tucker High School, will join the pilot program for the 2022 – 2023 school year. 

Godwin Principal Leigh Dunavant said, “I am talking with principals who are doing the eight period schedule at other high schools to get information about how to plan if the change takes place.”