With only one homeroom meeting a month this year, homeroom has basically become inactive.

For around six years homeroom has been a part of the culture.  Every week on Friday, it was a time where students could relax and bond with other students in their room.

Homeroom is a mix of all grades, freshmen through seniors, all chosen at random.

Because of this mixture of grades, it was a chance for all other students and me to meet and interact with new individuals we normally wouldn’t know.

It was a chance for me as a freshman to meet older kids at Notre Dame and ask for help on my homework or anything else I needed.

It was a chance for me as a sophomore to find new ways to be involved at school and talk with my teachers.

I was hoping it would’ve been a chance for me as a junior to take leadership and coordinate food and games.

And I was also hoping it would’ve been a chance for me next year as a senior to share my story and experiences at Notre Dame and mentor incoming freshman through the Big Buddy program.

For other students, especially those who were shy, it was an opportunity to build relationships and new friendships; it helped some students to come out of their own shells.

Unfortunately, since homeroom has been reduced to simply once a month I have not been able to achieve as much as I would’ve liked to.

I very much enjoy baking and cooking and homeroom allowed me to share my creations and actually get feedback on how my food tasted and how I should improve or change it in the future.

I remember seeing the smiles on my friends in homeroom when I walked in with my blue tray of freshly baked and delicately decorated cupcakes and cookies.

As students who have lost something very special to us, it is important to share our stories of community and truly express how much we miss homeroom.

It is up to us to create student involvement in the decisions made about Notre Dame and its students.

It is our job as students to create the community which we call home at.