By Michelle Costa, Local News 8 Reporter

POCATELLO - Just this year, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District moved to trimesters to help students meet an increased demand for graduation requirements.

On Monday, the first trimester wrapped up and on Tuesday students sat through their first day of the second one.

Was moving from 18 weeks to 12 weeks really a good idea?

By moving to trimesters, District 25 students are sitting in class a little longer. 13 minutes more to be exact.

But, like anything in a teenager's life, change is never easy.

"At first, I didn't really like them. But, it's really not that big of a deal. The classes are a little bit longer and it can be exhausting at times. But, I don't know, I have less homework,” said Shantyl Betty, Pocatello High School, Senior.

Other pros for students at Pocatello High School include being able to work in more classes to their schedules and spending more time with teachers.

"Has it run smoothly? It probably could have gone better. But, in the overall scheme of things, we're trying to make it work the best we can. It's kind of tough to make that new trimester work. We had some bumps in the road, but we'll iron those out as we go along,” said Principal Don Cotant, Pocatello High School.

And ironing out those bumps is what the school district is looking to do as well.

"It has been wonderful for more of the hands-on or performance based classes to have that extra time. Even some discussions, some teachers say they couldn't really introduce a topic in the short time from before. However, others might feel like I've got extra time on my hands, what do I have my students do?" said Bob Devine, Director of Secondary Education.

While teachers may feel strained, most students are giving the system an A+.

District 25 is planning to tweak any problems with the trimester system, but expects to continue using them in the future.

They’re hoping to meet with students and teachers around March to discuss any concerns.