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Junior couple Tara Naugle and Tony O’Keefe take a personality test to see their compatibility. Resulting in a minor argument but they then end up laughing. “Flex time is for the students; Adult advocate day is unnecessary,” Katie Matteson said.

Since flex time premiered at the beginning of the year, Adult Advocate days have been few and far between. The few there have been, however, have had specific activities for the senior class that differ from the rest of the grades. They have to do with planning for the future. They are geared toward students who have not begun to plan for the future, while in reality, much of the senior class has put thought into it, since counselors have drilled it into students’ brains since the first day of freshman year. The activities given to seniors during Adult Advocate time are a waste of students’ homework time, and they are redundant to most of the senior population, as many students have already begun to plan their post secondary path.

The point of each flex period is directed toward students at specific grade levels. Seniors have their own flex advisers and often, seniors have different activities planned than other classes. While all the activities are ultimately geared toward the future, they vary between grades.

“[I do not think these activities are advantageous since] the timing of the activities is wrong for seniors this year. Take for example the most recent activity those 10 questions [about the future], they are the sorts of questions you should have been thinking about as juniors,” English teacher and adviser Lori Stippel said.

The senior class activities have included questions that prompt thought into the future, and updating the MCIS five year plan. These activities are meant to give students time to think about their post-secondary plan.

“I think that the regular flex day opportunities are a [much better use] of time… kids who might not do homework at their house have an opportunity to get some done in school [where] it’s more structured,” senior Isaac Goetzke said.

The activities planned for the senior class come at a time in which many students have already began to plan their future. Many students have already applied to colleges, begun to look for jobs, and prepare for other post-secondary activities. These are the students who feel they are being overlooked and given busy work, having time taken away from them that they would rather use for homework and other activities.

Other flex time offerings include various clubs and the option to meet with teachers and makeup tests. Students may also use the time for homework and to get up and move in the middle of the day by going to the gyms.

Students tend to favor the other options, giving them a chance to do work they may have less time to do later. With Adult Advocate time that is structured to help so few people, students tend to feel as though their time is being wasted on useless activities. Although students may be completing these activities in classes, they are often done with little thought or attention, and they tend to be rushed through in order to use the time for other work.

“Generally students might be on task, but the task usually doesn’t take more than five minutes if you’re actually focused, so afterwards the students are left to do whatever they want, ” said Goetzke.

Some may see these activities as beneficial. There are students who still need to think about what they are going to do after high school and these tasks may very well prompt them to think about it. However, many students already have this done, so catering to the few who are unprepared makes little sense, especially since they tend to use the prepared majorities time poorly.

“We are trying to be very thoughtful about developmentally, what do seniors need…to be aware of,” counselor Kate Nelson said.

Although the Adult Advocate days may be useful to underclassmen and the few senior students who have not put much thought into the future, the activities that have been planned and executed in this time tend to more ineffective than helpful for the senior class. Students begin thinking about their future during the years and summer before their senior year, so the activities would be better aimed at underclassmen rather than the seniors. Seniors need to be thinking about other activities such as graduation, instead of spending their time on useless tasks.