The Super Bowl always falls on a Sunday, and, because of its cultural significance, the vast majority of the Xavier student body will find itself glued to their television sets or streaming devices, watching the Patriots and Seahawks clash in what is expected to be a great game. On Super Bowl Monday, there is always discussion about the game, with everyone secretly wishing that they were still asleep, rather than being in school the day after such an important event.
As an avid football fan himself, Student Body President Dominick Cognata has worked since his election towards a potential headmaster’s holiday for Super Bowl Monday. By combining the prospective day off with a community initiative to decrease screen time, President Cognata was able to get the Xavier administration on board with a potential holiday.
Why should the administration give the student body a day off? What are the logistics of having the day off? What can the student body do to prove they deserve the day off?
Student Body President Cognata and Headmaster Kim Smith collaborated on an initiative requiring 80% of the student body to participate and reduce their screen time usage by 20%, incentivizing students to stay engaged in real life activities. As a facet of the screen time challenge, the star system was created. Through this system, students are able to earn stars (5 stars = 1% decrease in screen time calculation) for choosing to spend screen-free time during the school day or at home. An example of this was the resurrection of ‘commons ball’ to encourage participation in sports, instead of time spent on a screen.
Josh Niemann ‘27 shared some words on how the challenge has affected his daily commute. Josh revealed that now, instead of scrolling on the train, he reads the news, adapting his routine to decrease time spent on social media. He explained that the screen time challenge is a “great opportunity” to reconnect and “reflect” on what is important in our lives. Boredom, he says, is something “people aren’t comfortable” with. This challenge has “given [him] a great appreciation for boredom.”
Josh has also spent more time with family, and he says “it has been great.” Since the challenge started, Josh has also taken additional steps to reduce his screen time, most notably he “deleted Instagram and Tik Tok, and [he] sleep[s] with [his] phone outside [his] room.”
On Monday Feb. 2, Ms. Smith announced the day off for Super Bowl Monday. With 82% participation and an average decrease of 34% in screen time usage across all homerooms, Xavier students comfortably surpassed the 80% participation and 20% decreases that were set by Ms. Smith.
Students are elated and excited that they have the day off for Super Bowl Monday. Some students will look forward to watching the Super Bowl that Sunday night, while others are content to have the day off. However Xavier students may choose to spend their day off, the Xavier Review wishes they do so in a way that brings them a sense of joy and happiness.
