MURRAY, Neb. – School is now in session. It’s a new year and changes have been made, including to cougar connections. The cougar connections is now not just as a study hall, but also as a teaching program and competition.

On Tuesdays, there is a lesson for the students. On Wednesday and Thursday it is a study hall where kids can take advantage of the time and finish any work they have. Fridays are mostly a fun day where all Cougars connect with other classes on a certain activity which provides fun competition. In terms of the new phone policy, cougar connections is a red zone, meaning phones aren’t allowed, which is different from last year’s rules.

Last year, cougar connections were either 30 minutes or 50 minute because of block days. Many people didn’t do anything and phones were allowed. And most importantly, there wasn’t a competition on Fridays. As we see, our school wants to improve in educating and using the time for kids to participate and do things other than being on phones and wasting time during school hours. The school is seeking a way for our students to do something during these last 20 minutes and mostly get done with work which it seems we’re having problems with for kids to finish or get their work done on time.

Having these kids in a certain routine and get done. And it’s not just getting stuff done, it also provides participation, learning and mostly having activities that seem fun, which is a way to let out stress from all the work we’ve done. It’s a great start that conestoga has started with adding these regulations and policies during cougar connection times. And hope this year has taught and inspired our Cougars to seek something new and use our remaining time for something useful.