New study hall helps students build character

7th and 8th graders created cartoons during study hall to display problems they see going on inside the school, such as wanting new bleachers (above) or seeing 

cockroaches (below).

by Bridgette Moore and Andrea Farrington

First year teacher Kelsie Sheets is surrounded in the old study hall room by several junior high students working on community and character building skills.

Due to the new block scheduling, students rarely have homework. Teachers saw study hall as a time that can be used to encourage kids to get involved in the school and community and take small steps to make a difference.

“Instead of wasting time, we can use the time to help build the students’ character,” said Debbie Iverson, who assists Sheets in study hall.

Sheets also hopes to challenge students and prepare them for high school and the adult world.

In the class period students come together and study. The 7^th and 8^th graders present a small project that encourages students to identify school and community problems and begin the process of trying to solve them. Students who need to finish assignments have an open supervised classroom that they can go to for a quieter space. 

“It is more fun and we get more done. We are actually learning something while having fun,” said Frank Gillum, an 8^th grader.

All students in study hall were asked to draw cartoons that deal with a problem that they felt we have at Montezuma Community Schools. Examples include cold water in the showers, school building issues, bullying, hygiene and foul language. 

They were asked to consider the causes of these problems and the effect that they have on a variety of people.

Students were then asked to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem; the majority of the students thought fundraising was the best possible solution for building problems and talking to the elementary about the bullying, hygiene and foul language issues.