SCROLL: Day in the Life of a High Schooler

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March 17, 2025
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Anya Gorovits and Diya Manikandan || STAFF WRITERS

I jolt out of sleep as my alarm blares into my ears. My hand moves before my brain does, reaching for my phone. I quickly snooze the alarm and instinctively click to watch some videos—just a few to start the day.

“STOP SCROLLING, If you want to be more productive, you need a morning routine.”

I blink at the screen. That sounds…important. I watch as a girl lists out five steps to increase productivity. I instantly forget steps one through four, but I think step five is “stop wasting time.”

I nod. Good advice. I watch another video. Then another; 20 minutes later, I’m still in bed.

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History, first period. The teacher is lecturing us about the Constitution, but it sounds fake. I open my phone under my desk.

“Is the Constitution even real?”

First result, a guy’s voice blares through my AirPods: “WAKE UP PEOPLE, the government doesn’t want you to know this, but the Constitution was actually written by time travelers!”

I look up to see everyone staring at me. Shoot, my AirPods never connected. The teacher sighs and continues on with the lesson. I look back at my phone.

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Math class. I don’t understand anything. The room is silent, except for the teacher’s monotone voice and the sound of someone cracking their knuckles. What if she calls on me?

I ask to go to the bathroom and leave. In line, I open my phone.

I return to class 12 minutes later. The teacher glances over at me from her desk.

“You okay?” she asks. I nod and slide into my seat.

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Time for lunch. I sit with my friends. We smile at each other and pull out our phones. Overlapping sounds from our phones accompany the background noise of the cafeteria.

Someone finally looks up. “Did you see that—”

“Yeah, I saw it on TikTok,” I say. They nod and go back to scrolling. I take a bite of my wrap.

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Gym class. The teacher says we need to exercise.

I check my phone. One video says walking 100 steps a day is enough. The next says running can be bad for you.

I decide to sit down.

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Finally, I’m home. I open up a blank doc. My English essay on phone usage is due tomorrow. Time to focus. I set my phone on the other side of my desk.

I type my first two sentences, occasionally glancing over at the chipped screen that stares back at me, daring me to pick it up. I begin to write, “Phone addiction is a myth. I would be able to survive without my phone–”

BZZZ. BZZZ.

Ignore it. I need to focus. I write another sentence, but the words just don’t sound right, even though they came from a video by a wellness influencer. Somehow, everything sounds better when it’s online.

I’m about to finish the end of my next sentence—

BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.

Maybe it’s something important. It couldn’t hurt to check.

My phone screen lights up. Oh, someone new requested to follow me. I should see who they are, check out their posts, where they go to school—

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Four hours later, the three sentences from my essay stand alone. Meanwhile, I’ve watched 73 videos. A few of them were on tips for better writing though, so it’s basically studying.

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My eyes drag lazily across the screen of my phone to check the time. Midnight. I should sleep.

Another video will help me fall asleep. Just one more.

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It’s 3:00 AM, and my phone is snug against the indentation it’s made on my pinky finger.

A pop-up interrupts the dancing cat on my screen…

“Time to take a break? You’ve been scrolling for a while!”

Sigh…

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Andoverview

EDITORIAL: Where is the Line Between Inspiration and Cheating?

March 30, 2026

At ANDOVERVIEW, we believe academic dishonesty is a notable issue. Students are often scared to ask teachers for help, don’t have time to complete the work, or are simply lazy, so they ask AI to do the work for them.

We do not exclude ourselves from this phenomenon. To our knowledge, ANDOVERVIEW has never allowed AI to change the truths that we report, but we know for certain that there have been drafts put forward by students for publication in the past years that have relied on AI. We acknowledge that the problem with AI usage is schoolwide (in fact, nationwide); now, as part of the student body, we want to raise awareness and help solve this problem.

Cheating causes an uneven playing field between those who use AI or cheat in any way, and those who do their work honestly. Academic dishonesty also hinders teachers’ ability to understand how much their students truly retain what is being taught.

We at ANDOVERVIEW believe that within each class at AHS, teachers need to provide a defined line between what constitutes cheating and learning.

Much of cheating today revolves around AI, and many teachers seem to have a different policy regarding it. Students must figure out which rules apply where. Academic integrity in one classroom may be considered a violation in another. Although a schoolwide policy is existent, it is lengthy while simultaneously being unclear at times. More specificity is necessary within the policy to ensure that coursework isn’t a stressful guessing game for students.

So, what are students to do? At ANDOVERVIEW we believe students who use sources for ideas—not as a replacement for their own work and effort—need a solid line to tell them if what they are doing is considered academic dishonesty. We need a policy, we need a line, and most importantly we need consistency.

Until that consistent line is drawn, students must recognize that if, in their eyes, an action comes anywhere near that blurry boundary, they should stop. Reflect on if it is truly worth it risking your reputation and potentially your future. If not, we urge you to choose a different path. Academic integrity starts with each individual student.

Articles

Steve Zrike Appointed MA Secretary of Education

February 12, 2026

Avery Slaughter || ONLINE EDITOR

Steve Zrike was appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Education by Governor Maura Healey on February 10. He will assume the position on February 13.

Zrike will succeed Patrick Tutwiler in the role. As Secretary of Education, Zrike will oversee the Executive Office of Education, which is responsible for managing pre-elementary, K-12 and higher education across the state.

“My responsibility is to the children of the Commonwealth,” Zrike said. “I just want to make sure that that is clear–that at the end of the day, the job is about improving the student experience in our public institutions across Massachusetts.”

Zrike is currently the superintendent of Salem Public Schools. Previously, he also served as superintendent of both Holyoke and Wakefield. He has held various other positions in school districts across Massachusetts.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of experiences in a lot of different types of communities,” Zrike said. “I’m going to rely on the different relationships and different experiences I’ve had across all those places. Of course, I have a lot to learn, and I’m excited to get started with better understanding the many different types of education programs that exist across Massachusetts.”

An Andover resident, Zrike began his career in education as a fifth grade teacher in Andover Public Schools. Prior to this, he received education at Dartmouth College and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“Andover was an amazing place for me to start my career,” Zrike said. “I learned a lot from the people that I worked with. I’ve carried that experience with me since.”

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SCROLL: Day in the Life of a High Schooler

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