Mead High School’s StuCo is hosting their first digital detox week. This week is taking place directly after spring break ends, from March 25 to March 29. The goal of this week is to get kids off their phones and focus on their academics. The event is optional; no one is forced to participate.

Every morning, students are asked to power off their phones and turn them into the office. Every time a student turns in their phone, they get a raffle ticket put into a bucket of 20 dollar gift cards each day. Each grade has its own ticket bucket. The raffle tickets are also put in another bucket at the end of the week for the chance to win a 50 dollar gift card. The Mead Education Foundation gifted 600 dollars to StuCo to fund prizes.

StuCo is still working out the details, but they are considering distributing wristbands for students who have turned in their phones. In addition to this, they may add an excused attendance day for upperclassmen to encourage more participation.

Myriah Bermudez formulated the idea of a digital detox week after seeing a TikTok explaining the benefits of unplugging, especially after Spring Break. StuCo advisor, Ms. Rue, said, “It’s a good idea to help students disconnect from social media and their devices all the time.”