News & Articles

Reposted from a schoolwide email sent by our Director of Academic Affairs, Rev. Chris Stratton.

Students, you have done a tremendous job this year not accessing your phones during the school day. It has been good to see you talking to one another, playing games, laughing, taking naps, and diligently completing your schoolwork. Disciplinary interventions are down, grade averages are up, and the community is reporting high levels of joy. Well done! We commend you for your maturity and are delighted to see the flourishing that has been set loose on campus as a result of your good work adhering to this policy. 

In light of these good things, some of you may be asking, “Why not allow us to keep our phones in our bags?” The reason is simple: there are more good things to be had by putting your phones and watches out of sight and away from you. We are making these changes, and investing significant time and resources into this program because we believe doing so will be better for everyone involved in our community. We are not making these decisions out of mistrust or a desire to be unnecessarily difficult or harsh. 

Studies show that even the “mere presence” of a device near us can have subtle but measurable negative psychological, intellectual, and social effects. A phone or smartwatch, whether it is being used or not, can interfere with meaningful conversations, and lead to reduced social connection, empathy, and attention. A cell phone in proximity is a cognitive distraction and detracts from learning. The phone owner may subconsciously anticipate notifications or feel tempted to check the phone, and others around it may be distracted as well. This leads to a negative cognitive effect that is called “continuous partial attention,” where focus is divided between the task or conversation at hand and the potential activity on the phone. The result is that people tend to engage less deeply in conversations when a phone is nearby. Lastly, some studies suggest that people feel a false sense of security or connection when their phone is nearby. However, the trade-off is that this “comfort” of having a phone nearby often comes at the expense of positive social interaction and deeper focus. The data shows that these things do not happen when phones are far away. 

It is for these reasons, and more, that we continue to work diligently to build a Phone Free School. Our desire is to continue to make room to let Good Things Run Wild as we encourage lives of faith, character, and service to the glory of God.