The summer before freshman year, I was, like any middle-schooler who had heard about the horrors of high school and had a stereotypical perception of tv-show hallways filled with teenage bullies and cliques, very nervous. I even interrogated my older sister about every detail of her daily school life. Amid the rapid pace of the 4×4 schedule at Westview, one novelty that stood out to me was the potential steadying effect that Homeroom could provide.

Homeroom sounded so homey and warm, similar to the close-knit class dynamics I loved and missed from elementary and middle school. But all my sister said was, “oh yeah it’s boring we just sit and look at our phones for 20 minutes.” Lo and behold, as I soon found out, her description was all too accurate. In my Homeroom, I do have the occasional conversation with others over tests, events, or other miscellaneous topics, but the majority of the time, my Homeroom is completely silent. 

So, when I heard about the new changes being made to Homeroom for next year, I was beyond ecstatic. As students are now aware, the new Homeroom system–to be called Dens––features themes that students can choose to join. By rebranding Homeroom in this way, teachers and administrators are placing a clear priority on building a community around shared interests. And for that, I truly appreciate the Homeroom committee, staff, and teachers who spent countless months not only sorting through different plans, but also actively listening to what students and the community wanted. Furthermore, I commend the committee for recognizing that the current system was not meeting its intended purpose, and making the choice to fix it.

Homeroom is actually unique to Westview within the Poway Unified district. No other school has a specified time for students to connect outside of educational time. Homeroom was added to reinforce the core values upon which Westview was founded — Communication, Collaboration, Connection, and Flexibility. In line with this, the driving vision of Homeroom was that it would serve as a hub of connections, stability, and comfort throughout high school. In the post-COVID years, however, due to virtual and hybrid learning,  this underlying purpose has faltered.

When Westview first opened, Homeroom met three times a week instead of twice. This schedule endured into the COVID shutdown.  In the early years, Homeroom served as a  class for attendance, schedule-planning, silent reading, game-playing, and bringing very diverse groups of students together. Homeroom teachers even had budgets to pick out books for their classes to read. Currently, for many students like myself, the Homeroom experience was never truly realized. However, with the new proposed system, we may very well be able to bring back that similar sense of camaraderie. 

This rebranding is something to celebrate. In most of my classes, teachers have already actively begun asking students what themes they are interested in, generating a lot of genuine excitement and anticipation. The voice given to students is a positive change that, hopefully, will result in more student participation in homeroom. Especially because students typically have very little say in their set curriculum or class activities, I’m looking forward to gaining the ability to work with teachers and create spaces that everyone enjoys.  

As I typically spend my Homerooms cramming in some last-minute studying for my Friday exams, I did have concerns about my “cram time” being taken up by other activities. However, we already have three Wolverine Times a week dedicated to academics. Rather than simply being a time for individuals to do whatever miscellaneous activities they want, this new change to Homeroom provides students with a time specifically dedicated to winding down. In Westview’s fast-paced, rigorous environment, students will surely benefit from the occasional respite from academics when they can instead immerse themselves in a hobby or interest of their choice. This 20-minute break specifically allotted to enjoying time with peers and shared hobbies will be healthy for students and staff alike. The plan also calls for Homeroom to be a phone-free time, and my hope is that all teachers and students embrace this time to refocus their attention away from their devices. 

So, next year, maybe I’ll be geeking out over new restaurants, or maybe I’ll be making silly drawings with my classmates. But, either way, I look forward to the little bit of joy that the Den may bring to my week. While no one knows how these changes will truly play out, the fact that this change has been initiated–and made–is something we can all look forward to.