Student Council (STUCO) will host their second “Hot Cocoa and Cookies” study session tomorrow after school.
Students can come to the library from 3:30 pm. – 4:30 p.m. to study and hang out with friends and peers while enjoying hot chocolate and cookies provided by STUCO.
Their first session was yesterday, and STUCO president Nick Dragnev, junior, said it was a success. About 50 students showed up and the Mu Alpha Theta club provided math tutors to assist students.
The idea originated from a convention hosted by the Missouri Association of Student Council (MASC) that STUCO attended. Dragnev said he and the other presidents thought the idea could be fun to implement at MHS.
“I think a lot of times students feel worn down and there are negative associations made with school, so our hope is to create events that give back to students and make Marquette more friendly and inviting,” Dragnev said.
Dragnev said this event was aimed to provide time for students to study for finals, and he wouldn’t be surprised if STUCO organized something similar in the future.
“It helps to show that STUCO is always here to help students out,” Dragnev said.
Yvette Yaroshenko, sophomore, attended the Tuesday study session, where she noticed a high turnout of students.
“Last session was probably the most people I’ve ever seen in the library after school,” Yaroshenko said. “I think it was beneficial to have snacks and drinks provided.”
When the sessions were announced, Yaroshenko immediately texted her friends to go with her.
“It was nice to have a time where I was in the library to study for my finals,” Yaroshenko said.
Ray Holmes, librarian, said the library is the perfect place to host these types of events.
“One reason is the library is kind of the heart of the building,” Holmes said, “It’s a nice and quiet environment, which makes it a natural choice.”
Holmes said students have access to library materials during the sessions.
“I had a handful of students asking for books on certain topics,” Holmes said.
He said he hopes the study sessions will help students recognize that the library can be a good place to use outside of the school day as a productive place to study.
“Something I observed is that we get some students attending these study sessions that aren’t usually staying after school to use the library as a study space,” Holmes said, “Students are making use of programs that support them.”
On a typical school day, the library is open until 4 p.m.
