In the midst of multiple schedule changes over the past two years due to the pandemic, Studium has emerged as a successor to the Academic Lab of the 2020-21 academic year. Some uncertainty surrounded the endeavor heading into the 2021-22 school year, but it seems that students and faculty alike have gotten a feel for the Studium period over the course of the first quarter.

The main goal of Studium is to give students more time to build personal relationships with teachers and to get extra help in their courses when needed, somewhat similar to the Academic Lab and Activity Period in years past.

“I have heard that (Studium) is doing a nice job of getting students more opportunities to meet with their teachers,” said Assistant Principal of Academics, Dr. Kevin Foy. “It is giving teachers more opportunities where students have fewer conflicts to meet outside of class. I have also heard that teachers are able to do things that they have never been able to do before.”

“I think that Studium is a well-implemented academic benefit to the students that has made teachers more accessible than ever,” said junior Ryan Carpenter.

Along with implementing Studium this year, the administration also decided to keep a separate slot of time on B Days for Activity Period, splitting time for school-related endeavors and club-related activities into two parts. However, without strict rules dictating what activities should take place when, it is left to the students to decide how to spend their time during the two periods.

“Instructional Council is going to take on the project of evaluating Studium in the very near future,” said Foy. “One of the things that I'm going to do is take a look at how many scheduled meetings we have during Studium versus how many scheduled meetings we have during Activity Period. So, obviously there are some things that are very clearly Activity Period worthy, and some things that are very clearly Studium worthy and we always knew that at some point on the continuum there would be this gray area, so getting a better sense of that is important.”

Using data collected from observations around the school of how students spend their time during both Studium and Activity Period, the Instructional Council hopes to get a better grasp on the usage of the two periods.

Some teachers use Studium every day, working with students that come to their classrooms on a regular basis, while other teachers use it only on certain occasions for deeper dives into their lessons.

“I use Studium pretty much every time,” said math teacher Don Steingruby. “And mostly it's kids that drop in and need help with whatever math they're working on at the time, so I stay pretty busy. I generally have a pretty steady flow of kids in (my classroom) that get help.”

“I normally use Studium for group projects, occasionally meeting with teachers, and completing homework,” said freshman Rudy Reitenbach.

Overall, the implementation of Studium has provoked mixed responses from faculty members and students alike. On the one hand, students are given the opportunity to get the extra help they need when the need it; and on the other hand, questions loom as to whether or not the period takes up the right amount of time, whether or not students are using it effectively, and whether or not teachers are using it effectively.

“I think that there's always going to be students who use it to their advantage for learning,” said Steingruby. “And then there will also be times where kids might not use it the way it was intended. But I think having the period is important just to give everybody some flexibility.”

One major critique of Studium is the difference in time slots between A Days and B Days. On A Days, students are given 30 minutes for their academic pursuits, while that time is expanded to 60 minutes on B Days. 

“The little mini Studium (on A Days), it seems to me, is kind of hard to get traction for,” said Steingruby. “It’s a sticky wicket, but I still think it's a good thing. And then the B Day Studium is a little more productive because the kids have longer time windows to see me.” 

“With Studium, I can work with others on collaborative homework or meet with teachers when I need help with a certain concept. Not only does Studium provide academic pursuits, but it also provides a break during the day, especially on A Days,” said junior Joe Abbate. “For me, Studium has been an essential part of my schedule, especially when taking difficult classes that require more outside help.”