Shorians participating in College Curiosity

Half days have always been a part of school life, but since it’s only a three-hour school day, kids who are at school on those days are typically just stuck sitting around in their classes, waiting to head out. On the flip side, half days also cause an increase of absences, most kids don’t see the reason to show up for three hours when they are missing any classwork. In hopes of improving the half-day experience, staff at Lake Shore High School came together in order to make those short days a little more enjoyable. 

Last Thursday, due to Parent Teacher Conferences, Lake Shore High School had a half day. Instead of the usual routine, students signed up in advance to participate in sessions, where they would be led by teachers, on whatever specific topic the teacher chose to talk about. For example, Mrs. Tharme shared her appreciation for 80s/90s alternative music. Shorians from a variety of grades are giving their feedback on the activities from last week.

Marissa White, senior, thought the activities were fun. She said, “I thought Thursday was amazing. I received good life advice from Mr. Daly and got to explore my hobbies and interests more. I enjoyed the character development throughout the day!” 

Having something set to do is something a lot of students appreciate, that way they won’t have to use an absence, or sit and do nothing fun or productive. 

Drake Silas, sophomore, said, “I think the stuff we did on Thursday was a lot better than what we usually do. I wasn’t super bored sitting around in my classes for three hours, I was doing fun stuff with my friends!” 

Conner Carney, junior, added, “I loved the activities we were able to do!” 

Kayla Domas, senior, highlighted all the opportunities these days provide to students. “I enjoyed the ability to choose how and when we spent our day, and the variety of opportunities we could pick from.” 

Having various choices to personalize your sessions for the day was definitely the right move for helping more students become engaged with topics they like or want to learn more about. 

Hailey Magasark, junior, said, “I honestly thought it was a good idea. I liked that we got to choose what we wanted to do. It really was better than having to go to all your classes, just to sit for like 20 minutes.” 

A lot of kids were skeptical of this new idea, but many were pleasantly surprised when they partook in the activities and had a lot of fun. 

Allison Chenoweth, senior, said, “I actually enjoyed it. I had a nice little walk and then I painted pumpkins with my boyfriend.” 

All types of activities were going on that day. Students choose from a very wide range of sessions, some including a Mario Kart tournament with Mr. Kelley, relaxing by doing some art with Ms. Kamis, or getting some more familiarity with all things having to do with college, with Ms. Tanski. 

Did you enjoy the half-day activities? If you did, tell us all about your own experiences in the comments!