Change causes a flurry of different emotions. “Away for the Day” was a subtle change for some, but a drastic change for others. Away for the Day was a day set aside for Christ Church students to test the idea of taking students’ phones away for an entire school day.

Some showed strong dislike, saying it was “pointless,” and it made them “feel like an infant.” Many others showed indifference for the day saying “it’s not that different,” or “I don’t use my phone anyway.” Mr. Kittredge said it’s a, “well intentioned and worthwhile endeavor,’ that will, “experience some growing pains,” but it’s, “worth exploring.” Some used profanity to describe their dislike of the day, and many others liked the day but did not want to show it. A handful of other students did not like how they could not see what time it was. If we were to do this again, sophomore Alex Drake said, “just make sure all the clocks work.” 

When students were asked what percentage of phones were still on students, the average percentage came out to be about a quarter of the high school. One student said, “That’s today? I’ve been on my phone all day.” Another student claimed to feel, “more energized and talkative,” and many others said it was, “pretty cool.” A couple of students also said that they would like a compromise. Instead of this being an everyday occurrence, it could be once a week.

According to a random survey of 27 people, 13 respondents, or 48%, said they didn’t like the day. Most people give a valid reason for not liking it or not wanting another day like this. Some examples are, “We don’t have our phones. What time is it?” Three out of the 13 complained about being unable to listen to music or audiobooks. 2 people complained about not knowing the time. Some people thought it was good but didn’t want the day to happen again. Senior Adam Brown said, “I’m locked in, not gonna lie, but do say that I don’t want this to stick.”

4 out of the 27, or 14%, thought the day was productive. People say it helps bring the community together and, “feel more energized and more talkative.” Science teacher Nicole Daniels also said that she heard more people talking in the halls on the day than before. Other people just didn’t care, with 37% of people not caring. After asking people, just over 25% had their phone with them anyway. There was someone who was seen reaching into their bag to grab their phone over 4 times in one class. An unnamed person had to hang up on their parents while they were talking about going out of town for the day.  

Head of the Upper School Wes Clarke thought that 33% of people had their phones still on them. He also said it, “makes sense to have a different approach between 9th and 12th graders,” when he discussed whether the freedoms for the older grades would be different from the younger grades. He also said it was, “conditioning behavior,” meaning it was a good idea to, “condition yourself to not need it.” Also, I can’t forget to mention that his favorite Pop Tart flavor is Brown Sugar Cinnamon. 

There were many mixed opinions about Away for the Day, but we can all agree that cell phones do have an affect on our health. Rather the affect be positive or negative, there must be precautions taken to spare our mental health. These are the opinions of our student body at Christ Church Episcopal School. What is your opinion? Let us know.