Petition for Study Hall

We the under signed of Souhegan High School believe that an eighth period should be added into the daily schedule and a study hall elective should be added into the course.

This period would not only be reserved for study hall, and if students wish to opt out of taking the study hall, another elective will take its place. Many students get extremely overwhelmed with homework loads at Souhegan, and we believe an extra period to help get some work done is necessary. If students need help with homework or a project, they can visit their teachers for extra help.

A study conducted by Harris Cooper showed that more homework does not necessarily make students better learners, and homework causes a lot of stress in high school students. If we had a study hall added onto the school day, stress levels would go down because students would have time to complete some of their homework at school, instead of having to complete it all at home.

Also, many students here at Souhegan participate in extracurriculars after school such as sports, theatre, mock trial, ect. On many occasions, practices or games do not get over until very late at night, and by the time students get home, many students don’t have the time or energy to complete their homework to the best of their abilities. Studies show that doing more than two hours of homework a night is unhelpful to students because our brains can only take in so much information at one time.

We believe that if the school day was lengthened and a study hall was added into the schedule, homework loads would be drastically reduced and students would have more time for family, friends, and extracurriculars. Everyone’s lives would be less stressful and many students, teachers, and family members would benefit from it.