Brain Breaks are not new in Spring Lake history — we’ve had brain breaks for a while now. But recently, rather than using an extended meeting period schedule, like we did for the recent pep rally, we use seminar for our Brain Breaks. I asked Student Council members why, and if we could use them differently in the future.
Why did we initially have Brain Breaks?
“Peer Up proposed the idea and the Executive Student Council at the time thought it was a great idea,” says Brooklyn Verplank, junior Student Council president. Brain Breaks are a fun experience during the school year, often providing a break from the monotony of school life.
“They give people something to look forward to,” says Liam Krass, sophomore president. The Brain Break is loved by many, but some think it’s a waste of time. Some think it’s a waste of time because of what we do with our limited time — it’s the same activities every time.
Why was the Brain Break we had on Feb. 20 structured the way it was?
When asked, Krass responded, “I honestly could not tell you. I wanted to do something different that involved the whole class — I was going to try to do cardboard boat racing because I thought that would be fun but they (Student Council members) wanted basketball. People like basketball I guess.” So some people want other activities, like cardboard boat racing, and others want us to continue doing the same Brain Break we always have been.
What happened to the club fair?
Some people might not remember this, but in September 2022 we had an extended meeting period where all clubs made tables and activities to explain and advertise their club while persuading people to join with fun activities. This event was held toward the beginning of the school year, in the gym, and it was a helpful way to see all of the clubs and what they could offer. This year, we had no such activity.
“This year we did Club Fair on the same day as picture day,” says Verplank. While every year we have had certain clubs have tables at Smart Start, we never had a grand showing of every club. Unless, of course, I didn’t go to the same picture day.
According to Krass, “No one really brought it up.”
It seems it isn’t a high priority for members of the student council. I, for one, really enjoyed the club fair and I think it’s a great resource for incoming freshmen and other students to find clubs they want to join.
What might change about Brain Breaks? Restructuring?
With some voicing their dissent of Brain Breaks, is there any possibility they might change in the future? “I think this year we will take into account the students’ perspective for their thoughts on brain break and determine if we should continue them or not,” says Verplank. Potentially restructuring Brain Breaks to be more frequent or have them less frequent but higher quality could be important changes to look for next school year.