The Marist underclassmen have felt empty-handed for a few months now. If you are a sophomore or a freshman you are not able to go on your phone during lunch and if you are caught on your phone, it will be taken until the end of the period. This policy needs to go away.

MHS media conducted a poll of 67 people, and 89.6% of people agreed with me.

Coach Topps initiated this policy to encourage students to talk to each more, but I feel the opposite is true; going on your phone helps the underclass engage in conversations because they can talk about a funny video, a new trend, a new video game that just came out, and more.

I personally have found it way easier to engage with others when there is a common topic: our phones. It has helped me start conversations.

The poll also asked about why people wanted their phones and many responses came back in high numbers, such as, phones help me socialize, they allow me to calm down, they help me make conversations, and it allows me to text my parents.

 As you can see, I am not the only one who feels this way. Marist students have been wanting to be able to use their phones during lunch because that is what sophomores, juniors, and seniors used to do. This phone ban has only come into effect this school year. In the previous school years, there were no restrictions on phones during lunch. 

The poll asked if their lunch experience was better last year, and results came back that 70.1% of sophomores said, “yes,” due to being able to use their phone.

I am a sophomore and agree that my lunch experience last year was better than mine this year because of phones. I’ve had many laughs with my friends at lunch because of a funny TikTok or picture, and now I feel like something is missing. 

I believe that there are many benefits of having phones at lunch and I know that although the majority of the student body agrees with me, Coach Topps does not. Sorry Coach Topps.