It’s 1:40 and Community Work Period has just begun. Once you walk into the student center you are struck by the amount of students milling about. Many talking in groups or just sitting around and surfing the web on their computers. The room is loud and it’s crazy. If you expected get work done in there you would be wrong. The work period has been this way all year: more play than work.

With the student center becoming a bustling mess and teachers closing doors to escape distraction it begs the question: Why do we have this period and is it necessary?

Although it seems easy enough to label the period as wasted time that could be lopped off the schedule in exchange for an early school release time, the work period is still serving its intended role.

The block of time is called a “work period”, but after speaking with Mr. Seldis and students I have found that the period is not misused, rather mis-labeled.

“The reason was to give the students a break, so that there are no back-to-back classes. A 75-minute block to another 75-minute block is brutal. The second reason was to give students that cannot get to school before 8:30 am can have time to meet with teachers for extra help,” Seldis responded when asked about the reasoning behind creating the work period.

The underlying point behind Mr. Seldis’ response was that the Community Work Period is not necessarily for work, but is a break in which you can work and receive help if you choose.

“It is up to the students to use the work period as they would like to use it. If their grades are where they need them to be, then they can use it as a break rather than extra help time,” stated Seldis.

Students have generally gotten the memo. Many use the time to see teachers and get work done when necessary, but primarily utilize the time to get a much needed break.

“During community work period I usually just talk with my friends or finish any work I might need to complete for my last class. I do like having a break between classes because I think it helps me focus more,” said, Junior, Melanie Saltz.

“During the work period I like to have the time to socialize with friends. After having a 75 minute class I find it nice to have a break. If I didn’t have time to see any teachers during Extra Help in the morning, then I typically go into them during the work period, but it usually doesn’t take up the whole time. The thing I like most about the work period is that is it unorganized and flexible so the student can determine how they would like to use it. It is perfect amount of time to get work in and have a break,” articulated, Freshman, Cayla Damman.

At first glance the student center may look chaotic and unorganized. One may wonder how this could possibly be considered a work period. The truth is that it frankly is not. It is an open period in which students use the time in a way that is best for them. The work period is organized chaos and this seems to be a positive time block for the student body.