At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, administrators introduced Walt Wisdom Time, a biweekly school-wide study hall held on Wednesdays after third period, alternating with OneWhitman. The period offers students a chance to receive teacher assistance, retake tests and participate in wellness activities. 

After the first quarter, many Whitman students expressed gratitude for Walt Wisdom Time. 

Junior Kavin Kachoria said he has a demanding schedule and finds Walt Wisdom Time valuable because it gives him time to catch up on work. 

“I think that Walt Wisdom time is super helpful to deal with the amount of assignments we have,” Kachoria said.

Amidst a youth mental health crisis — with 40% of students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — Whitman’s mental health experts on the Bridge to Wellness team expected Walt Wisdom Time to have a positive impact on student mental health. 

Senior Kaitlin Lowy said she believes the study hall is helping Whitman students handle academic pressure. She expressed her hopes that it could serve as a permanent solution to reduce student stress and pressure.

Not all students see Walt Wisdom Time as a viable long-term solution, however. Some believe that it doesn’t offer students enough time. Sophomore Devon Pratt gave her thoughts about Walt Wisdom Time’s functionality. 

“Walt Wisdom is a good short-term solution, but I feel that there should be a better solution for time to study and do homework,” Pratt said. 

Some students feel that Walt Wisdom Time should occur more frequently than biweekly instead of alternating with OneWhitman. Junior Blake Butler said that Walt Wisdom Time may benefit students more than OneWhitman because it gives students more time to keep up academically. 

“I definitely prefer Walt Wisdom Time over OneWhitman,” Butler said. “We already have OneWhitman twice a month, and it could be beneficial for everyone to have more time to catch up on work.” 

Some teachers are less enthusiastic than students about Walt Wisdom Time. English teacher Todd Michaels shared that he isn’t sure if Walt Wisdom is achieving its goals. Michaels said that the period may be helpful, but it lacks organization. However, he says he isn’t completely opposed to it. 

“It’s kind of nice to have that period, but it also adds a bit of an extra layer of stress. I have kids coming and going, I haven’t seen a lot of security or enforcement,” Michaels said. “I like the idea of it— I just don’t think we’re there yet.”