Gibault Catholic High School recently announced a big schedule change coming next school year, providing students and staff with regular opportunities to rest, further their academic career or enjoy their community.

“Enrichment Fridays” were officially announced on the school’s Facebook page last month, with further details provided by President David Gregson and Assistant Principal Haley Kovarik.

Per school correspondence provided by Gregson, prior to his return to Gibault as president this school year, he had been questioning what he might bring to help further the school’s reputation for a unique, innovative education experience.

Gibault has earned this reputation in the past for its college-credit courses and virtual learning capabilities, though both of these have come to be fairly commonplace among modern high schools.

Gregson ultimately wound up focusing on a potential change to Gibault’s school week – though the modular schedule that’s been a part of the school since its inception was vital to maintain.

“I believe that Gibault needs to try some new things, otherwise we’re always gonna be the same,” Gregson said. “There are school districts that are full-fledged four-day school week, so we looked into that. It wouldn’t quite work with how our modular schedule is here at Gibault. That’s been a staple since the inception of the school 60 years ago, so we didn’t want to take that away. That’s so important to our heritage.”

Enrichment Fridays are intended to be an altered version of this four-day week, with a total of nine Fridays throughout the school year essentially added as days off for the school.

Gregson spoke to the apparent benefits of shortened school weeks. With research indicating either minimal change or improved performance for students, he emphasized the idea of providing ways for students and staff alike to recharge from their regular schedules.

He further listed a number of activities Enrichment Fridays are geared toward, with students able to use them for college visits, job-shadowing, ACT prep, family travel, volunteer service and more.

Kovarik likewise spoke about Enrichment Fridays as a means for Gibault students to engage in their community.

“The purpose is to give time back to our students and staff to work on developing themselves as people,” Kovarik said. “One of the lines in our mission statement is that we develop in our students ‘a life-affirming relationship to the world.’ These Enrichment Fridays, from my perspective, are an opportunity to be out in the world, practicing what Gibault preaches.”

Of course, students can also simply enjoy these days as time away from school, whether they’re using their extended weekend to further their studies or get some much-needed rest.

“Everyone gets enrichment in different ways, and this is an opportunity for each person to find their own way,” Gregson said.

Gregson noted that a number of Enrichment Fridays align with holidays like Labor Day and Columbus Day, providing a number of four-day weekends throughout the year for further rejuvenation.

Of course, the enrichment isn’t meant exclusively for students. Both Gregson and Kovarik spoke about how faculty might use this time to rest themselves or find opportunities for professional development.

Gregson voiced his hope that this adjustment to the school schedule will help attract students and staff alike to Gibault.

“Ideally, I’m hoping students will find something, maybe it’s a volunteer opportunity or maybe it’s a job shadow,” Gregson said. “I’m also hoping it will be a little bit more intriguing for teachers out there when we have job openings… Maybe travel or do professional development. Whatever enrichment for them also.”

These Enrichment Fridays are intended to have a fairly limited impact on Gibault’s calendar, with the total of 176 attendance days remaining the same.

The first day for freshmen for the 2026-27 school year is set for Aug. 13, with the first day for all students being Aug. 17. The final day of exams would be May 26.

For reference, these dates for the 2025-26 school year were Aug. 15, Aug. 19 and May 21, respectively.

With Enrichment Fridays coming next school year, both Gregson and Kovarik reiterated the importance of keeping the Gibault experience fresh and innovative.

“We’ve always been interested in being innovative,” Kovarik said. “It’s important for our school to be looking ahead at what is the next new thing in education that will help grow our students into smart, prepared, good people. I definitely see this change continuing our tradition of innovation and not being afraid to do something new.”

For more information about Gibault Catholic High School, call 618-939-3883.