Less phones, more friendship. This statement is true for the students of Roncalli High School. Students are not allowed to have their phones for the 7 ½ hours they are in school.  By not communicating through social media all day, students say they have more opportunities to form genuine friendships. 

“Speaking face-to-face allows me to have a deeper, more personal relationship with my friends,” senior Kaelin Qunlin said.  If I just speak to them online, I do not see them as my friend because they are on a screen instead of me getting to see them.” 

Speaking face-to-face has allowed for better communication, which makes it easier for students to form genuine friendships. 

“It has enhanced my interaction with others during school hours because I have no other choice than to engage with others because I do not have my cell phone,”senior Helen Sizemore said.

Not having a phone forces students to rely on other ways to communicate. However, not having phones in school has not only affected friendships, but also affected students’ classroom performance. Not having a phone allows students to fully focus on their education without the distraction of a phone. 

“Not having a phone allows me to not be tempted to cheat and allows me to actually learn the information teachers give,” senior Jack Hovanac said.

Not having a phone ensures students focus on their school work and has even improved grades for some.

“It has allowed me to focus more on school work than what’s happening on my phone, and has gotten me better grades in all my classes,” senior Frankie Eagan said.

Students see a benefit to not having their phones during school hours and agree that not having phones helps them in more ways than one.

“I would not choose to have my phone during the school day because I think it helps us socially and academically to not have one,” senior Claire May said.

Ultimately, not having phones has not only made more genuine and well-connected friendships, but also helped students’ education. Students have grown to acknowledge the fact that not having their phones in school is actually a benefit rather than a punishment. When given the choice, most students interviewed choose to not have a phone during school.