The 25/26 St. Vincent- St. Mary’s school year has come with some big changes. At the top of that list was the change from a 90-minute study hall to an innovation study hall. Many factors went into this decision to get rid of the study hall in favor of the innovation block. I asked around the Irish family and got some opinions and insight into different viewpoints.
Innovation is STVM’s new block, so you may be asking what exactly it is. It includes a 35-minute lunch and a 35-minute study hall-type environment. Juniors and seniors go to lunch in the first half of the 70-minute block, then are split up by grade into roughly 20-30 student Innovation study groups. Freshmen and sophomores flip this around, going to Innovation before going to lunch.
Now that Innovation has been outlined, why make the change from study hall to innovation?
Innovation is a school-wide free period, so students can ask questions or seek help from teachers; unlike in Study halls, which were in different blocks for each student. Without a study hall, students have an extra spot in their schedule for another class. It also acts as a homeroom after STVM removed the house system and mentor group at the start of this school year, favoring to focus on the community within each grade instead. The LRC (Learning Resource Center) was a quiet place where students could go during their study hall. However, after Barbara Wood’s retirement in 2022, who had previously taken responsibility for the LRC, it may have become a slight hassle for teachers who had to oversee students there. Another thing of the past was the old lunch system, where students had a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd lunch depending on what class students had on the third block of either a green or gold day. If you prefer to have a silent study hall or need to make up a test, there’s a silent study hall for one or both innovations (SI): the lecture room where you can eat lunch as well. Because of this, along with the other reasons stated, lunch and study hall most likely needed a reworking.
So, here’s the real question: Does the change towards Innovation benefit STVM students and teachers more than the study hall did? Opinions vary but most students miss having the 90-minute length for a test retake and a longer work period. I asked a number of students and a few teachers which they prefer, Innovation or Study Hall, and the answers were overwhelming.
Jaden Jacobs expressed that “I feel like it’s more time to prepare for things like assignments and quizzes and allows more engagement in assignments.”
Bi’anca Epps-Andrew exclaimed, “Bring (study hall) back! I just sit there and talk to one person- I have to leave and go to a different classroom because it’s so loud.”
Louisa, trumped by her extensive schedule, said “Without a study hall, I cannot manage how much work I get. I go to school, work hard and go to dance, and study till 11, waking up at 5 to finish my schoolwork. It’s not healthy.”
Another student with a tough schedule, Trinity said “There’s more time during study hall to get the work done, especially for AP and honors classes.”
Chloe also defended study hall saying, “Study hall is better, they’re longer; not enough time in Innovation.”
Although Dezirah had the opposite viewpoint, choosing “innovation-if we didn’t have it, we would have separate lunches each day and with underclassmen, so even though it’s not that long and you can get something down.”
And Levi found a middle ground explaining “I like the new lunch, but I don’t have enough time for my schoolwork.”
Many teachers have to spend time marking attendance for the Innovation room they cover.
The same question was posed to teachers: “Innovation or study hall?”
Mrs. DiDomenico answered, “I think all students should have time for work, and innovation hasn’t been working so far, but I don’t think they necessarily need 90 minutes.”
Mrs. Skovira, the silent Innovation (SI) period teacher, told me that eating lunch while working is not healthy (many of the students who need to take a test eat lunch while in the SI).
Now that the conversation between those in favor of the study hall and those in favor of Innovation has been started, I want to learn your opinion on this matter. Leave your comment below; let’s create a better learning environment for us Irish!
