“Senior privilege” is an exciting part of growing up in high school. From prom to graduation festivities and rituals, senior year is full of added perks. It is a chance for seniors to show their maturity, as well as prepare for college and the responsibility that comes with it. One recent change that DePaul Prep has implemented was to gather all seniors together for a communal FRESH period in the West Dining Hall as well as Corboy Hall. 

This idea originally stemmed from a new study hall set up for seniors last semester. If a senior has a study hall anywhere on their schedule, they can choose to work in either the Commons or Corboy Hall, instead of having to report to a teacher for attendance. Seniors felt that FRESH period was a perfect opportunity to choose how they spent their time during FRESH, just like they do during study hall. 

Kate Mueller, treasurer and senior class representative, introduced this idea during a recent student government meeting. According to Mueller, “the administrators were very receptive. 

After two weeks of consideration, the change was put into place. 

As Dr. Stanton-Anderson, principal of DePaul Prep, explained, “Seniors are typically our most mature students. They are preparing to go to the next step in their education where they have complete freedom.” 

Christopher Petersen, Director of Student Activities and Student Life, said that seniors did “an amazing job” with study hall in the first semester, and it proved that they deserved more of an “open campus” feeling. 

Mueller believes that the class of 2024 could benefit from this new policy, as she says, “It’s important seniors have this privilege because […] it’s a chance to spend more time with each other in school.”

When asked about recent feelings from students, Mueller says “it’s been really receptive” and that it’s a great opportunity to see friends you may normally not see throughout the day.

As a student herself, Mueller really enjoys this privilege and was glad to see how receptive the administration was when asked to implement this. 

Recently the administration has opened up Corboy Hall as well for seniors during this period. This change was put in place for those students who prefer to use FRESH as a study hall period to get work done, instead of a time to socialize with friends. 

After some feedback from teachers, Dr. Stanton-Anderson knew it was necessary to open up a quiet space alongside the communal space. She emphasized that it is important for seniors to “make decisions about how to use their time wisely”, since college is just around the corner.

Mitchell Baum, director of data systems and scheduling, agrees that this is “good training ground for college students.”

He mentioned that seniors were looking for an opportunity to show that they could handle themselves, and reap the benefits of independence. He emphasized an importance on being able to separate your time as a growing adult, whether you should be socializing or completing work. 

Spending one’s free time wisely is a skill that everyone should work towards. When it comes to this new fresh period, finding out how to separate that time can be challenging. An important balance in students’ lives is learning the difference between days that can be spent hanging out with friends, and days that should be dedicated to studying. This stability is the key to becoming a productive student, and in turn an independent adult.