RIPON — Students at Ripon High won’t have too much time, if any, to socialize between classes.

That’s because they’ll have just three minutes rather than five during their passing periods under the new bell schedule – part of the changes for the upcoming year – approved earlier this summer by the Ripon Unified school board.

The hope for the bell schedule change at RHS is to cut down on tardiness.

“My experience at other school districts was that students wasted little time standing around when the passing period was shortened,” Principal Lance Morrow recently said.

He noted that school officials plan to monitor the effects of the changes, especially on student learning, and, during the spring, reevaluate the bell schedule.

Meanwhile, classes for an estimated 3,050 students – included are Colony Oak, Park View, Weston, Ripona, Ripon elementary, and, of course, Ripon High – will begin promptly at 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

In other changes for the upcoming school year:

• As part of the $19.5 million budget approved last month, the board agreed to do away with class-size reduction. This is expected to affect kindergarten- through third- grade youngsters. Gone are the days of 20-to-1 students to teacher ratio per classroom.

• Amie Carter takes over as principal at Colony Oak. She was the vice principal at RHS, but stepped in as principal at Ripona last January for Warren Council, who is back at his old job. Carter takes over the position held previously by Sylvia Eheler.

• Keith Rangel was the interim vice principal at RHS, filling the void left by Carter. A 1995 graduate of the school, he worked as both teacher and coach.

For more information, call the district office at (209) 599-2131 or log on to www.riponusd.net.