Homeroom is a part of the school day every Friday where students have the chance to connect with their peers and get updates about upcoming events. For most of Woodbridge High’s history, Homeroom has been a randomly selected class that students remain in for their 4 years.
“Homerooms were designed so that one group stays with their same Homeroom teacher for the entirety of their high school experience”, Ian Garovillas, a member of Woodbridge staff said.
This school year, Homeroom assignments changed, with Homeroom being the same as students’ fourth period.
“I’ve had both types of Homeroom and I liked the fourth period better” senior Kate Morgan, a senior, said.
Junior Ai Oku shared Morgan’s opinion.
“In fourth we already know everyone and get to know them,” Oku said.
She believes it is important for students to share a bond and being able to lend the extra time with those students helps too.
“In the normal classroom setting, we are often pressed for time and are often without the time and space to build better relationships with one another,” Garrovillas said.
This Homeroom time can help foster meaningful friendships.
Homeroom is incredibly important for seniors as their Homeroom class is who they will walk with at graduation. It is vital to building strong relationships among peers.
“As a senior it is important who I walk with, I would prefer to walk with friends.” Morgan said.
Beyond building connections between individuals, homerooms connect the whole school through weekly announcements and updates. Homeroom also gives students time to work and relax from the daily grind of school. Fourth period Homeroom provided students a chance to get help from peers who are most likely taking some of the same or similar classes
While some students and staff found benefits to having a student’s fourth period as Homeroom, many others found this to be too long to have the same students in one class. Usual class periods are about an hour and a half long but fourth period and Homeroom make up around a two hour period for students to be sitting in the same class. This can prove to be exhausting for students and teachers alike.
“It is so important to [the] administration and staff to hear from all voices that the staff was asked to vote on their preference.” Garrovillas said.
Woodbridge staff voted and decided upon homeroom for the 2024-25 school year to be your third period class. This means that on Fridays, students will go to their third period for Homeroom to receive news and school updates. Then, they will attend their fourth period class. With Homeroom being the same class, as third period, students can form lasting bonds and connections without being stuck in one class for too long on Fridays.
