Courtesy of BSM Student Council

Student Council offers many fun activities to homerooms throughout the year. They stimulate new friendships, and provide students with a much-needed brain break during the school day.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s has offered many opportunities for homerooms to engage in friendly competition against each other. Some examples include bingo, kahoot, trivia, etc. Homerooms then decide if they want to partake in the activities or not. Some students enjoy participating in fun activities, whereas others couldn’t hate it more.

There are numerous reasons that fun activities are offered to homerooms. It can help students bond with each other because it provides them with the opportunity to work together. These activities also give students a chance to have a much-needed brain break during the school day. It’s as if they can turn off their “work” brain and turn on their “fun” brain. Learning specialist Katherine Johnson believes that the activities provide an opportunity for kids to be kids again. “I think it brings kids together in their homeroom and gives them a common purpose, and helps them to maybe get to know each other more,” Johnson said.

Another reason that the school offers these activities is to build a stronger sense of community in the school. Students have to work together to finish the activities offered. It teaches them to rely on each other and that teamwork is vital. Sophomore Frisco Hudak enjoys doing these activities and thinks that the number of homeroom activities the school offers is sufficient. He has made some new friends from these activities, as he enjoys building relationships with new people. “I’d say [BSM should] offer more [homeroom activities] or keep it the same,” Hudak stated.

Homeroom activities have received a lot of backlash lately. The number of students who participate in them is dwindling rapidly. Students have a plethora of reasons for not wanting to participate. Examples include not having friends to do them with, wanting to do homework instead, etc. For senior Elizabeth Gallager, these activities don’t feel very engaging or exciting. “It [homeroom activities] just sort of gets a little bit boring or monotonous. I guess if you don’t know the topic [of the activity]… you don’t care [to participate],” Gallager said.

Unlike students who either hate these activities or those who love them, some students don’t have much of an opinion. Junior Eli Reinberg likes doing these activities but thinks that some things could be improved. His main critique is that not many people choose to participate because his homeroom teacher doesn’t require it. “They are fun, but it would be more fun if more people did it,” Reinberg said.

Many students thrive off of these activities. It gives them a nice break from the electronic world and gives them a chance to fully connect with their peers. Junior Mykenah Anderson is thrilled whenever she hears something fun will be going on in the homeroom. “I like doing homeroom activities because it gets people off of their phones and computers and gets everyone engaged in one activity,” Anderson said.

People are divided in their opinions about homeroom activities. But, that is to be expected because everyone has a mind of their own and has the freedom to think however they want. As for the future, nothing is going to change, and these homeroom activities will still be offered (and possibly improved).