The school’s advisory was held everyday except on the weekly Wellness Wednesdays, where students remained in their second period. The 30-minute span occurred between second and third period where students could socialize with friends, retake tests or ask their teachers questions. The last advisory period that students had was on Feb. 9, since then this part of the school day has been devoted to homeroom.
Completing assignments, finishing homework and studying for tests are all activities that can thrive in a quiet environment like homeroom. According to sophomore Sheryln Zhu, she uses this time to complete work and enhance productivity before allowing herself to socialize with her friends. “Usually, I start off by finishing some of my homework, and then after I do my homework, I talk with my friends in homeroom,” Zhu said.
Different students might spend homeroom differently, depending on workload, company and other factors. According to Barbara Silcox, her freshman homeroom class uses this time to socialize or play games. “Some of them play games on their phone or play games on their Chromebook, some of them play actual games. I’ve seen Uno happen, which [is] fantastic… They talk to each other. Some of them are working on homework… there’s a variety of different things happening,” Silcox said.
Students might find themselves not being as productive during homeroom as they were during advisory. During homeroom, students can still go to other classes to take tests or quizzes but only if they have a pass. “I’m definitely more productive during advisory, [because] I’m able to go to other classes without a pass. You can go to multiple different classes throughout the same advisory to get help, you don’t have to stay in one place,” freshman Andrea Fernandez Cobo said.
Other students might spend homeroom the same way they would have spent advisory. According to Silcox, even with the restrictions, her homeroom students try to accomplish their assignments as well as possible. “I guess it depends on what you consider productive, right? For me, advisory has always been a place for students to either get help, make up assignments, do homework or do nothing at all and take a brain break. So I would say all of my freshman students are doing that to the best of their abilities under the constraints,” Silcox said.
During the 30 minutes of homeroom, students can relax and play games on their phones to pass the time. According to freshman Aayu Rastogi, he enjoys talking with his friends or independently playing games on his electronics. “Whenever I get in my classroom, I just sit down in my seat and either I’m just playing games on my phone or I’m talking to my friends that are around me,” Rastogi said.
Students who feel lonely in their homeroom might resort to watching content on their phones. According to Nolin Markham, she scrolls on social media during this time and misses the company that came with having advisory. “I sit there and scroll on TikTok… I’m just really sad that I have to be there all alone. I definitely want advisory back,” Markham said.
