With the fourth quarter in full swing, ninth graders Sophie Cullen and Olivia Szaj successfully rallied the 2020 class to petition for free periods in place of the study halls. Instead of having to report to a proctor and sit in the library for the hour and fifteen minute period, students will have the option to either continue working in the library, find another place to study, or just hang out with friends.

When asked how she felt about the change, ninth grader Nina Starchook said: “I feel good. I feel like it’s a way to have freedom because when you’re in study hall you’re very closed in, I guess. There’s not much you can really do. Like you have to say in the library, and there’s a lot of rules around it.” This was the tune of both Starchook and fellow ninth grader, Teo Dieperink, who focused more on the social aspect of the changes, “I didn’t enjoy study halls because I didn’t have the freedom to interact with my peers as much as I would like.”

While both feel the change is great, they were also apprehensive about how productive they would be. Dieperink said, “I’ll probably be a little less productive since there’s no teacher watching over me, and I’ll probably try to play basketball with my friends.” Starchook felt the same, saying, “I honestly think I’ll be less productive because I won’t have a teacher watching over me, but also because I’ll be with my friends more and be able to get distracted easily.”

Dieperink and Starchook represent the 2022 class well, both excited yet skeptical for the responsibilities that will be put on them in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Free periods are just the start of all these and will test the maturity of the class for the rest of the year.