High school can be a very stressful time for most students. All of the homework, tests and papers take a genuine toll. So, senior Milo Nelson started his very own study group, which meets three times a week at the Plainfield Public Library, to relieve students’ stress by offering an environment of enrichment that fosters community.
“Initially, I chose to start the study group because I realized how beneficial spending my nights at the library were, which made me want to share those benefits with others in the Plainfield community,” Nelson said. “Lots of the frequent members are athletes or involved in many extracurriculars. Having a consistent time slot to get work done is hugely important for those that are busy.”
Senior Torrance Freeman has been a frequent attendee, allowing for dedicated time to complete coursework between Freeman’s athletic endeavors.
“Me being a senior the workload has increased a lot so going to the library has helped with me actually completing work instead of me going home and being prone to distraction,” Freeman said. “We all want the best for each other. We push each other to work harder than we usually would.”
A majority of the attendees find themselves attending for reasons beyond studying or focusing academically. Instead, they look forward to the comradery and sense of community that comes with their studies.
“I enjoy being around fun people and having a good environment to share with them,” junior Haya Aldoqah said.
“We use that time after each session to back up a little bit, breathe and enjoy life around us,” Freeman said.
While most of the students that attend are upperclassmen, a driving force behind the creation of Nelson’s study group was to encourage the intermingling of lower and upper classmen. At the moment, a few lowerclassmen do attend, receiving guidance and instruction from their upperclassmen counterparts
“It is making a very positive impact. We all have good connections and connect with people we’ve never met. I think that’s important to underclassmen or even some upperclassmen that have trouble with socializing.”
Regardless of the grade level of an attendee, they cite improvement in academic performance as a catalyst for further attendance.
“This time has improved my academic performance because my peers are able to explain things to me that we don’t get class time for.” junior Serenity Palacios said. “Not only do I have a greater understanding but everyone around me does too.”
Nelson, after seeing the positive impact of his study group, has already begun to think about its future as he is set to graduate at the end of this school year.
“I hope that at the end of my time at PCHS I am able to pass the leadership on to someone else, to further the growth of the study group and increase the outreach to Plainfield area students,” Nelson said.
