Two years ago, Lakota West had 30 minutes designated for a study hall. This was a time for students to work on homework, as well as receive help from teachers and peers. However, in the students’ eyes, it was removed for no apparent reason. Now, some teachers give their students a 15 minute study hall during 4th bell; but many do not. Many students don’t understand why this time was taken away and replaced with extra time between classes. In a poll of 26 random students, we discovered that 88.5% of the students preferred having a study hall to the extra time between bells, while only 11.5% didn’t.    

These results were also present in the opinions of the teachers we interviewed.  One teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes that the 30 minute study hall was necessary because without it, it’s difficult for students and teachers to accomplish all that they need to in a day. Study hall gives students a much needed mental break in the day as well as a time to regain energy for the remaining classes. In addition, the teacher observed a noticeable difference in attitude of their students after the change in study hall time. Students seemed more energized for their class. The teacher mentioned how many students, especially athletes, relied on that time. Without study hall, they are unable to finish as much work. Overall, the teacher believes that increasing study hall back to 30 minutes would only have positive impacts for both students and teachers.

However, in order to discover more about the reasoning behind the reduction in study hall time, we talked to Mr. Card. When asked why study hall time was reduced, he said it was to add more passing time and a little more time in classes. Many alternative schedules were presented; however none seemed to fit the needs of everyone, which resulted in the current schedule. Mr. Card also stated that this was a district decision, so it is unknown whether the schedule will change next year. However, Mr. Card agrees that having a 30 minute study hall gives students who have jobs or extracurriculars much more time to get work done.  Also, he said that having a longer study hall would make the lunches less crowded, which would be beneficial for the administration because there would be less students to supervise.  

Overall, the main reason why study hall was reduced is still unclear. However, it is clear that both teachers and students would prefer a longer study hall.