Old Rochester Regional High School will pilot a new “Bulldog Block” Feb. 27 to March 30 to provide more support for students.

Principal Mike Devoll explained the idea to the ORR School Committee on Wednesday.

The Bulldog Block will be similar to the flex period at the junior high and will be geared toward providing “interventions, enrichments, extensions and support” to students, particularly those “reluctant learners” who are struggling and will not seek help after school.

“These are the kids that need us the most. They need us during the school day,” Devoll said.

The period will be 40 minutes a day and reduce each 85-minute class by 10 minutes as well as get rid of the homeroom period. Teachers will be assigned as mentors to groups of students no larger than 14.

Even students who do not need extra instruction will work with their mentors to figure out a useful schedule during the 40-minute block – from helping other students to exercise.

In addition to giving particular attention to students who need academic help, the time could be used for a bereavement group, group meetings with a social worker and student group meetings. Already, said Devoll, some of those groups exist and students participate in them during regular classes because there isn’t another time built in for them during the school day.

“We miss a lot of instructional time,” Devoll said, stressing it was not for necessary things.

Devoll said a group of teachers visited a school with a similar setup in New Hampshire and were convinced it had merit. He also conducted focus groups with students and will have an information session with parents at a later date.