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What is a home study day? A home study day is a day NCSS students do work outside of school. Our teachers go to work on our home study days. Home study days are on the Fridays after every early release day we have which is on a Wednesday. There are seven home study days in one school year. Teachers use home study days to make up for not having prep time during typical school days. They use these days for senior meetings, planning, grading, collaborating, and seeking community partners for student projects.  
How do students use it? Sophia Figueroa a senior at NCSS said, “A home study day allows me to go out into the community to get tools, resources, and information.” Cole Huffman, also a senior at NCSS said, “I like home study days because there are less distractions, and I am able to focus on getting things done while being in a more relaxed setting.” Brent Cook a senior at NCSS says, “It’s an opportunity to prove yourself to your teachers, when no one is around to watch.”  It’s a way for us to show our teachers that we can work independently. On a home study day we log our time and activity by going onto our computers or writing it on a piece of paper and logging it on the computer later.  
What do the advisors think about home study days?  Mr. Rumney, an advisor at NCSS says, “It drives the essence of what NCSS is, about working independently without being told what to do. It allows kids to do Friday’s work throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.” Mrs. Kropidlowski, an advisor at NCSS says “A home study day is invaluable for both staff and students because it gives staff time to collaborate and students more time to work independently.”  Mr. Santy, an NCSS advisor feels that “Home study days allow students to get out in the community to learn. Students often go to the public library, search out experts to interview, or spend time in our beautiful park studying nature and history first hand.” 
Home study days are always helpful. They give us the chance to go out and get information that we might not find within the four walls of our classrooms or school. It’s an opportunity that we have to get more in-depth information from live sources throughout our community. So next time you see an NCSS student out and about on an occasional Friday, know that it isn’t just a day off. Feel free to ask us what sort of project we are working on and we’ll tell you.