The academic school year of 2025 started with a banger added to the Upper School Code of Conduct—the Phone Policy! Students in Groups IX, X, and XI are obligated to place their phones in slots with their corresponding grade and name. Seniors are given the privilege of keeping their phones but can only use them in designated spaces, such as the Senior Lounge.
Now the question is, how has this settled with students? Well, at first, it was rough. Girls had to get used to not being able to avoid awkward path interactions by pretending to be on their phones. They also had to deal with the struggle of walking to a class all the way at Pettengill, only to discover that their teacher had made a sudden and unfortunate change to the lunch rotation. The struggle is real, so real that on the first day the phone policy was enforced, beloved Junior Dean and Sophomore advisor, Ms. Ribaudo, discovered an ancient iPhone 6 in the sophomore phone box in lieu of this student’s actual phone. Clever sophomores!
While getting accustomed to this new policy was a challenge, it did have some positive outcomes. The most notable one is that during free periods, students are much more present in the moment. One student notes that “getting rid of [her] phone helped [her] get a lot more work done” than when it was nearby and available. Another positive effect is increased human interaction! Wowzers! People actually talk at lunch, and during passing periods, people actually make eye contact (Incredible, I know). A school environment without phones certainly is a different experience, and good is definitely coming from it, but are there negative effects as well?
Phones during school hours had some benefits as well. Despite what some teachers want me to do, I will not be walking down the path with my laptop pulled out, reading last-minute emails right before class starts. For the boys, these notifications are easily accessible on their phones; however, it has happened one too many times that a teacher will make an announcement on Google Classroom, Canvas, or by email that goes unseen by the girls until the end of the day. Along with missed class notifications, there are many missed moments too. I don’t know about you all, but my favorite part of having my phone at school was being able to take candid pictures of fun times with friends and taking videos of shenanigans in that random arts elective. Now my camera roll runs dry with no proof that I even go to school at all. With prom season coming up, phones will become crucial with juniors and seniors wanting to record their friends’ promposals. It seems the “I didn’t bring my phone to school today” sheet is going to be fuller than ever.
