The SHS Senior Commons doubles as a lunch room and a study hall. It is a very social environment, especially during the lunch periods. At times, however, this social environment inhibits students’ abilities to get school work done.
I am not one to ditch my friends to study. I don’t think many teenagers are. However, when I am going over notes before a test or doing homework because I have a busy night, I struggle to be productive during my lunch period Commons. Also, with the Wellness Center’s new no-phone policy, busy environment and inconsistent availability, many seniors are less enticed to spend their Commons periods there.
All of this begs the question, why is there not an alternative senior-only study room?
It would be very beneficial, and it would provide seniors with a consistent place to get work done during the busy lunch periods or if the Wellness Center is not available.
SHS Principal Erin Short agrees that this would be a beneficial addition, however, there are some limitations.
“I think [having a separate lunch and study hall room] will depend on what happens with the Board’s decision in terms of the strategic plan of remodels of the high school or building a new one,” Short said. “We would love to have a quiet area for seniors and a more fun area– it’s a space issue.”
As far as study room alternatives besides the Wellness Center, seniors are able to join the underclassmen study hall. However, Senior Commons supervisor Dustin Lyons emphasizes that this is a permanent option due to attendance and safety concerns, and many seniors are not willing to make that commitment.
“The big [underclassmen] study hall is still an option,” Lyons said. “Most of [the seniors] don’t know that, and the ones that do don’t like that it is a permanent option. You can’t just go there on a Monday, you would have to go there every day for that period.”
Additionally, Lyons describes that the Wellness Center has become a less popular location for senior students this year.
“Since you’re not allowed to use your phones down there anymore, the number has changed from 25 every period [last year] to [not even] 25 total kids in a day,” Lyons said.
The SHS Wellness Director Michelle Shene encouraged the no-phone policy because she knows it is healthy to take a break from technology.
“It is really important for you to disconnect for a little bit,” Shene said. “It could be hard at first, but it is really important for mental health and there is research out there that proves that disconnecting from [your phone] is healthy.”
I do believe that this is true– I think we all need breaks from our phones. The no-phone policy has both had negative and positive effects on the environment in the Wellness Center. On one hand, the Wellness Center is a louder space, and one that you can’t put in headphones and listen to music to focus. On the other hand, there is more socialization and face-to-face conversations among students.
I created a survey for the seniors about their productivity in Senior Commons and if/why they utilize the Wellness Center. 35 students responded, here are some notable results:
- On a scale of 1-5 (1 being bad and 5 being very well), students rated their productivity in Commons as mainly a 2 (28.6%) or a 3 (42.9%).
- 20 of the students attributed their lack of studying in Commons to the loud environment of the lunch periods.
- 71.4% of students said they attended the Wellness Center zero times per week.
- The reasons why students did not go to the Wellness Center varied. Many said they did not go because they couldn’t use their phones, others said they did not have time, and a few said that the Wellness Center was too loud and busy.
These results support that my opinions are shared, and a senior-only study room would be beneficial.
I am hoping that senior-only periods, and the ability for seniors to use phones in the Wellness Center could be policies that are implemented next school year. I believe that these privileges or the addition of a study room would help seniors balance their social and academic lives.
