Many Benilde St. Margaret’s students cannot drive themselves home after school. With the school day ending earlier than many work days for parents, it makes it difficult for parents to come pick up their children right when the last bell rings. The students at BSM need somewhere to go after school to get some homework done, study for a big test, or relax after a long day at school, and the only place students can be is the library, unless supervised in a classroom.
After school, students go to the library to wait for their parents or spend time before practice, but it is a tough fight for a spot. While the library is open to students for an extended period after school, it gets crowded very quickly. Many students do not want to sit with people they don’t know, which can take away a lot of seating for other students. The chairs can also be taken and moved to different tables, making the library a more crowded space, pushing students away. “I don’t think there’s enough space in the library, it gets filled up quickly, and nobody wants to sit with people they don’t know,” sophomore Tiffany Morara said.
Most students who do go to the library after school do not go to do homework, rather, they go to just sit somewhere while they wait for their ride or activity to start. This makes it hard for students who do want to get their homework done to do so because the tables are taken up by people who are just sitting in them. If there were more options for places students could go after school, there would be a place for everyone, according to what they wanted to do after school. “I think they should either leave like the Commons or the atrium open … the atrium just for like people to sit because there’s not enough [space],” sophomore Olivia Brennan said.
BSM offers many resources for extra help in some subjects, however, these spots are rarely open after school for students to use. For the students who get their homework done in the library after school, having a teacher in the library who can help them if they get stuck would be a beneficial addition to the after-school spaces. “A teacher is there to help if they need school help or help with homework,” Brennan said.