Many high school students follow the same daily school schedule as those who walked the halls decades before.
However, Mineola High School did away with the eight-period day and replaced it with a new approach on the first day of school this year. It's called a a Flexible-Modular (Flex-Mod) schedule,
Though Mineola is not the first school district to adopt Flex-Mod, only a few other Texas schools follow the system, according to MISD.
Under Flex-Mod, students personalize their schedule, which includes time for independent learning, meeting with teachers, online classes, and group projects, among other things.
MHS Principal David Sauer said the new approach is necessary to engage students.
"They're not the students like we were when we were in school," he said. "So they need a different style of teaching to keep their interest."
That different style brought a number of changes to Mineola High School this year -- many of them providing an environment more like a college campus.
Kids spend time working in hallways and in new designated learning spaces.
Every student was issued a new Chromebook to complete assignments and communicate with teachers.
You won't hear a bell ring when it's time to change classes -- part of an effort to promote time management.
Students must also stay on top of their schedule -- as each day of the week brings with it a new lineup.
"The first day was complicated, but now I understand it," said freshman Lovely Wright.
Though a few changes were necessary at first, administrators said everyone on-campus seems to be adapting well, and most are especially fond of the added independent learning time (ILT).
"It helps us manage our time," said senior Noah Sneed.
Sneed expects ILT will also smooth out his transition to college.
"In college, sometimes you have two to three hours between classes," he said. "So this teaches us to get our work done between classes."
Because students have allocated time to complete worksheets and projects, teachers said they have more class time for things like critical thinking exercises and group projects.
"The kids can have extra study time on their own so when they come in my classroom we can do more fun activities," said English teacher Shelly Pollard.
Pollard said the new schedule also gives her and other teachers more time to plan and work one-on-one with struggling students who need extra help.
Principal Sauer said the district hopes to boost attendance and decrease student failure rates under Flex-Mod scheduling.
Though some were slightly hesitant coming in to the new school year, Sauer said he has only received positive feedback on the new schedule from students, parents and school staff.
"I really appreciate this because it's making me a better learner," said Wright.
In May, school administrators plan to measure Flex-Mod's success by comparing student attendance and performance data for 2016-2017 to previous years.
In addition, MISD Superintendent Kim Tunnell said the district will no longer need to employ substitute teachers at the high school under the new system.
Instead, students will check-in with a designated staff member when their teacher is absent, then independently complete work left behind by their instructor.
Not only will the district save nearly $50,000 per year by eliminating high school substitutes, Tunnell said she now expects to see higher student productivity when teachers are absent.