To whom this may concern,

We, the scholars and staff of the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (GSMST) humbly petition against the school's administrative team's decision to remove the Intervention period for 48 days (March 3- May 14) and make it an extra 45-minute class. We kindly request that the administrative team continue the intervention period and remove the 45 minutes extra period, but rather add 4 minutes to each period that is being done around the county at other high schools.

We all know GSMST is a very challenging high school and we the students and staff deserve a time to rest our minds. Removing the intervention period will bring an excess of more tension upon the students and faculty. Implementing this change would make the school day excruciatingly long and rigorous. Most students commute extensively in the mornings and afternoons as it were and now clubs and activities will also be extended. Students who live further distances across the county will now arrive home around 6:00 in the evening. This will, in itself bring upon another immense amount of mental and physical strain. Intervention was the time everyone could lift all these burdens off their shoulders. The teenagers of GSMST will lose morale and this will inevitably shatter their love for our wonderful school. Freshmen and sophomores still have a ways to go and it would possibly even make most of them feel cantankerous about their remaining years at GSMST. Juniors and seniors of this prestigious school would love to leave with a sense of pride as well as a smile. Removing intervention will not help with any of these presented scenarios.

On another note, students who are required to take an intervention class will lose the opportunity to get the extra help they need to pass their classes. GSMST is known to be rigorous, but with also the proper amount of support. Taking intervention away would practically be removing the support that is keeping a sufficient amount of people on par. We know that the teachers who support this new change think students who do not have intervention take joy in causing trouble and fooling around; however, I would argue that this is part of just relaxing. Intervention rejuvenates the students of GSMST and taking our only glimpse of freedom away will deteriorate the school's community, and the pride we currently feel as current students. Please consider this most sincere and urgent request.

Kind Regards,

Students of GSMST