When I first heard of BSM hour, I thought it was a relatively pointless idea. I wondered why we would be forced to have a free hour for “wellness” rather than be given a time slot for more electives. Many others also disagreed with the idea at first; however, now that I have gone through a few years of the wellness program I’ve realized the benefits of it and have come to enjoy the free time.

The whole idea of a “wellness” class seemed nonsensical at first. Spending my useless free hour cooking pancakes, knitting my friend a scarf, meditating my stress away, or playing card games clearly didn’t seem worth it. If I wanted to take a free hour instead of an elective, I would’ve chosen to take one.

After three years, however, my thoughts on BSM hour have drastically changed. I really am starting to use the extra forty-minute free hour to my advantage. During my free hour I can get help on information I didn’t understand, which saves a ton of extra time because I don’t have to come in before or after school to get all this extra stuff done. Also, I can save time by talking to teachers or taking tests during my BSM hour instead of doing this outside of the school day.

The wellness class itself has also impacted me. My favorite wellness class I’ve taken has been meditation. I didn’t realize how much stress I had been dealing with until after meditation class, and I now I understand the importance now of taking some time out of my busy schedule to meditate.

Other classes, like yoga and intro to fitness, also give kids a chance to get exercise during the school day. Classes like outdoor adventures and walking allow students to spend time outside of a stuffy classroom and get some fresh air. Many students like these opportunities, and exercise helps benefit students by increasing their attention span, improving their ability to concentrate, and encouraging good behavior in the classroom.

Since the BSM hour began in 2010-2011, I haven’t heard any complaints from other students. The BSM hour gives everyone extra time to work on academic material or to just relax and focus on something besides school. The BSM hour was one of the best additions the administration has made to our curriculum.