Patriot period in our school is a quick block period with the immense freedom of choice. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 10:50 to 11:20, students have the option to wander to anywhere in the school. However, with around 2400 students in our school, it can be difficult to find a good spot to hang out with friends or get some work done.
Determining the best spots for the patriot period is quite situational. Sometimes you are just looking for a place to chill with friends, or maybe looking for a small group quick study session before a big test later in the day. 4 factors go into finding the best patriot period spots s: Large group (5 or more people) or small group (4 or less) the talking/relaxed vibe and study/work time.
The best overall spots, regardless of group size or what you do during patriot period, are the tables in the hallways of the pods. There are 4 of these pods, 2 on the 2nd floor and 2 right above them on the 3rd floor. These pods are great because there are no teachers or adults patrolling behavior in these hallways. There is great freedom with seating here along with rolling seats, outlets, and basically no restriction on what you can talk about or do on your computer.
However, this spot does have some down sides. The wifi connection is not the most reliable and when trying to really focus, the noise can be irritating. Along with that, the high demand for the limited tables and seats in these pods make it a little difficult to get your entire group there if you do not get their first. But overall, the freedom that is offered at these spots make it the most desirable patriot period spot.
The best investment in your highschool career may be to find a chill teacher or make friends with one of your own teachers. Not just for recommendation letters, but for patriot period. Knowing a nice teacher and being able to hang out in their classroom is also one of the best options for a patriot period spot. These spots are more niche though, for example: the choir room. Generally speaking, only people who have the choir teacher or are friends with her go to her room for patriot period. But if you are part of a community like the choir singers, it can be one of the best options.
“I like coming to the choir room [for patriot period] because of the sense of community here” sophomore Quinn Jones said.
Overall, one of the best options out there is getting a group of friends to go to a preferred teacher for patriot period.
For large or small groups looking to study quietly or peacefully, I recommend going to the room of the teacher whose class you are studying for. So, for example, if you are studying Spanish, then you would go to a Spanish teachers class or your own Spanish teacher.
Another very popular spot is the library. This is arguably the best place to study independently and with a group of friends. The peace and quiet that is offered there is unmatched by anywhere else in the school. It is also generally spacious with lots of tables and chairs. However it still fills up quickly, with lots of people flocking to the library during patriot period. It is also required that students sign in on a google form on the 2 computers at the front desk before entering, often leading to long lines to get into the library. All together though, the library is a great spot to get some work done or relax in the quiet.
Potentially the most popular spot in the whole school, is the cafeteria. With its loads of tables and chairs that are certainly enough for large groups. I would recommend the cafeteria for large groups looking to just hang out and maybe eat a little before lunch or 5/4th period. The large space and tables makes this spot viable for lots of people, especially bigger groups. The obvious downside is the noise. The cafeteria is probably the loudest
