Beginning tonight, students will have a little less free time, a shorter study hall and an earlier bedtime. Director of Residential Life Ms. Miller announced the changes at School Meeting today. Study hall will begin at 7:45pm instead of 8:00. There will be a five minute break at 8:45, and study hall will end at 9:30 instead of 10:00 which cuts study hall by 15 minutes.
Study hall underwent major changes in the late fall of 2015, when the school went to morning athletics during winter schedule. That change resulted in study hall going from 8:00 – 10:00pm (previously from7:15 – 9:15pm), an earlier lights out (10:30 from 10:45) and students being required to stay on their halls after study hall.
Ms. Miller said the administration made these further changes because students were tired and not productive during the last hour of study hall. Before making the changes, Dean of Academic Affairs, Ms. Jill Walker consulted with the Resident Assistants (RAs) who had no objections to the move. The changes to study hall are temporary and will be evaluated in a few weeks.
The opinions on the updated schedule are mixed, but most skiers are not excited about it. Having the tightest schedules at Northwood, skiers have little free time. They leave school in the morning at 7:30, come back at noon and finish their school day at 6:15, like all other students. In addition, the team has to tune their skis every day, which usually takes 30 minutes per pair. Students typically tune two pairs of skis, depending on the training the following day, and up to five for big events like States and Easterns.
Some students, however, are pleased with the updated schedule because it allows them to go to bed and be done with their homework earlier.
Many students said they often don’t use the full two hours of study hall and think that it should go from 8:00 to 9:30pm, which would allow students who are taking classes with more homework the chance to get started on their work earlier, while the other students, who need less time, will be able to study later without losing any of their free time.
