Off and Away

This school year marked a major shift at Marist with the introduction of the “Off and Away” phone policy, requiring students to keep their phones, watches, and AirPods out of reach from 8 a.m. until 2:40 p.m. The change came as schools across the state respond to growing concerns about distractions and student engagement, especially following the Illinois senate bill 2427, which will mandate phone restrictions in classrooms by the 2026-27 school year. 

For many students, the adjustment was noticeable at first, but ultimately beneficial. 

“I have noticed that at the beginning of the year I slowly started losing the urge to check my phone,” said senior Sam Popow. “Without constant access, it helps me negate the want to use it.” 

These small changes led to major improvements for some. 

“My grades have gone up and I am definitely more focused inside the classroom,” said junior Kevin Curley. 

Beyond academics, the policy also aimed to improve social engagement among students. 

“I think the main goal is just getting more interaction and more human to human interaction because it is something a lot of younger people are nowadays missing,” said Popow. 

School administrators emphasized similar goals when implementing the policy and have already begun noticing changes.

“We have definitely noticed more communication in the hallways, more conversation, kids hanging out, talking to each other, talking to adults, opposed to the past when students would be walking with their nose in the phone,” said Dean Daniel Higgins. 

While the policy has shown clear benefits, some students have found ways to work around it. 

“Now my phone is in my backpack it is a lot easier to just grab and hide from my teachers rather than being in the phone caddy, where it is out of my reach,” said junior Carsyn Smith. 

Though not perfect, the policy is here to stay. The impacts the policy has made at Marist will continue on into the new school year, along with additional measures to strengthen effectiveness in the classroom.  

Looking forward to next year there will be no changes as of now to the off and away policy. However freshman will receive school issued iPads that have been wiped with no access to social media and games. With stricter firewalls on the iPad, the hope is that students will be more focused inside the classroom.

New Dean

As the school year wraps up, students are looking back on Dean Higgins first year and the impact he’s made on Marist so far. From new expectations to a stronger focus on discipline, his focus has been reinforcing structure while building relationships with new and old students.

At the start of the year, Higgins said it was a big adjustment because the occupation is very different from teaching. He now spends his day moving through the school checking in with students to handle situations or be present. He says it’s been a positive experience. 

One of Higgins’s main goals coming into the new role is to make a bigger impact beyond just a classroom.

“I wanted to be in a leadership position to make a difference on a school wide scale instead of just a classroom,” he said. 

While he admitted it was hard to leave teaching and the daily connections that came with it, he believed becoming dean would allow him to help more students overall. 

Instead of completely changing how things work, Higgins focused on reinforcing what was already in place; he described the school as having a strong blueprint and said his goal was to build on it. A major part of that has been emphasizing discipline, but not just as punishment.

“It’s more about setting up guidelines for success,” he said, adding students need habits and structure in life.

Students also noticed these enforcements throughout the year, like the phone policy or stricter enforcement of the dress code. 

“I feel like there’s a nice balance between friendship and respect,” junior Kevin Curley said. “He’ll get on someone in the hallway, and then later he’s at a basketball cheering.” 

“People say he’s too strict but at the end of the day he’s just doing his job,” senior Sam Popow said.

As the year ends, it’s clear his focus on discipline, habits and student success has made an impact and will likely continue to shape Marist moving forward.