Eagle Time offers students 27 minutes to complete work and review concepts. Last year, administration did not allow drafting during Eagle Time because of concerns that students might use this time to socialize rather than finish work. This limited students’ access to necessary help for their work. This small action frustrated both teachers and students because drafting provided the easiest way to communicate about assignments.  After a whole year of chaos, students will now be able to get the help they need during Eagle Time.

Drafting plays a major role in homework completion and allows students to gain the extra help needed to finish homework. It may seem easier to ask students to wait a whole day to ask a question or search answers on Google. However, drafting can help students meet the teacher before the deadline and better understand the concepts. 

In addition, being able to finish homework can lead to an increase in grades. Incomplete homework or homework with incorrect answers will hurt grade averages. One of the main reasons why grade averages decline is because students don’t have the chance to meet their teachers and receive extra help. This year, thanks to the staff, students won’t have to deal with this issue because the school brought drafting back. 

Furthermore, mental health can be improved with better grades. Because of stress caused by school work, 65% of high school students report anxiety, and 52% report depression. However, drafting gives an opportunity for students to interact with teachers and get their work done. This leads to students not having to worry about homework, so they can use their time after school to release stress and take a break from school. 

People have opposed students being able to leave their advisory with the thought that students may use this time to mess around with friends. Yet, the number of students relying on drafting to help them learn and raise grades outweighs this concern. 

The PHS staff should be applauded for agreeing to bring back drafting because of the positive effect it has on students. With their decision, students get the necessary amount of help they need leading to an increase in grades and a decrease in mental health issues among teens. Actions may seem small, yet their outcomes are enormous, and this administration should continue to take these decisions and make PHS an even healthier environment.

Editorials contain the opinion of the staff of Eagle Nation Online. Srihitha Madepalli wrote this article on behalf of the editorial board of ENO.