Students Turn Off Their Screens
Starting yesterday, January 29, 2017, the Lower School began its annual “Screen-Free Awareness Week” that will end Saturday, February 4. This program encourages Lower School students and their families to spend less time on their personal electronic devices or watching television, and allows them to put into perspective how much time is spent on screens each day.
Screen-Free Awareness Week encourages St. Mark’s Lower School students to find ways to entertain themselves that do not involve the use of screens. Head of Lower School Sherri Darver says that many students have already discussed what else they can do to entertain themselves. “The boys have come up with great alternative choices for this time: spending time with friends, reading, playing board games, and engaging in outdoor activities.”
In addition to teaching the boys about the importance of family time instead of spending too much time on screens, Lower School students also receive points for each day they spend screen-free. Classes with the highest participation at the end of the week will receive a free dress day.
Overall, Mrs. Darver expects the program to help the students learn how to better manage their time with technology, and, more importantly, she hopes her students and their families learn a larger lesson: “I hope this brings family-time to the forefront and keeps us all aware that family is truly more important than anything else.”
Parents will also get to learn more about the impact of technology and social media on the brain in a special presentation on Thursday, February 2, by Lower Grade Counselor Dr. Gabby Reed. Dr. Reed hopes to teach St. Mark’s parents about the connection between technology use and a developing brain and how parents can best maximize their boys’ access to technology without it interfering with their education.
Dr. Reed says, “My hope is that by providing this information to our parents, we can create a community with a shared knowledge base and hopefully create change for our boys as a whole.”
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Screen-Free Awareness Week encourages St. Mark’s Lower School students to find ways to entertain themselves that do not involve the use of screens. Head of Lower School Sherri Darver says that many students have already discussed what else they can do to entertain themselves. “The boys have come up with great alternative choices for this time: spending time with friends, reading, playing board games, and engaging in outdoor activities.”
In addition to teaching the boys about the importance of family time instead of spending too much time on screens, Lower School students also receive points for each day they spend screen-free. Classes with the highest participation at the end of the week will receive a free dress day.
Overall, Mrs. Darver expects the program to help the students learn how to better manage their time with technology, and, more importantly, she hopes her students and their families learn a larger lesson: “I hope this brings family-time to the forefront and keeps us all aware that family is truly more important than anything else.”
Parents will also get to learn more about the impact of technology and social media on the brain in a special presentation on Thursday, February 2, by Lower Grade Counselor Dr. Gabby Reed. Dr. Reed hopes to teach St. Mark’s parents about the connection between technology use and a developing brain and how parents can best maximize their boys’ access to technology without it interfering with their education.
Dr. Reed says, “My hope is that by providing this information to our parents, we can create a community with a shared knowledge base and hopefully create change for our boys as a whole.”
St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
