Free blocks. Rare. Precious. Gone before you even figure out what to do with them. Whether you’re in 7th grade, 12th grade, or anywhere in between, we can all agree: they don’t come often, and when they do, they are gone in the blink of an eye .
Some even think they are a fairy tail. Earl E Demise (name changed for anonymity) insists, “We don't have free blocks.”
A total of 19 people responded to the poll, with 26.3% of responses coming from 9th graders and another 26.3% from 7th graders. The rest from students across grades 8 through 12.
So we asked the Newman community: What’s the best way to spend a free block? Here’s what you had to say:
1st Place: Study and Homework (42.1%)
The majority of students said they’d rather knock out some work than get buried later.
Aster Evans ‘26 put it best: “If I do all of my work during my free period, I don’t have to do work later! It makes life so much easier, especially doing the full DP.”
Maura Keimig ‘26 added, “As a DP student we hardly have any free blocks, maximum 1 a day and not every day, so having time to get homework done is a necessity with our workload.”
And one student made the most practical point: “You can save time at night by doing your homework in your free instead.”
2nd Place: Hanging out with friends (21.1%)
Socializing came in strong, too. Sometimes you just need to decompress or complain about your workload with someone who understands the pain.
And the rest? Pure chaos, but in a good way: It’s not only about the choices but it’s also about the context our participants offered.
– Cardinal Cares (1 vote)
Shoutout to the enthusiastic voter who wrote: “Cardinal Cares is great, and everyone should join and do it!!!”
– Get food or drink (1 vote) - we hope you saw our article on the best place to get lunch!
– Take a nap (1 vote), signed with “sleep deprived.” - we feel you!
– Watch your favorite show/movie (1 vote)
– Go home (1 vote) – living the dream.
– Attend a class you’re not in and pretend you belong there (1 vote) – what could go wrong?
– Computer programming because why not (1 vote)
Owen Kelley ‘28 said: “It makes me feel like I’m doing something without having to do homework (because let’s face it, homework is boring, even for me).”
Whether you're a 7th grader dodging your next class or a DP student praying for a moment of peace, free blocks are what you make of them. Study, snack, sneak into a random classroom. It’s your time. Use it wisely... or don’t.
