With the start of the new semester, Grandview administration unveiled the school’s new app, which showcases many features. The app’s introduction received a large amount of positive and negative student-body feedback. 

One of the main features that sparked feedback is the hall passes. Hall passes are a segment of the app designated to give students a seven minute time period to fulfill needs outside of the classroom. 

“I don’t wanna get timed when I go to the bathroom, or have an amount of times I’m allowed to go,”  junior Nkongolo Wa Kalonji said. 

Many students agree with the general opposition to the hall passes. 

Additionally, the lack of overall use and functionality of features (especially the hall pass) on the app also makes it unnecessary to download it. 

“The hall passes are not necessary, and no teachers use them,”  sophomore Sahana Vaisyanathan said. 

However,  freshman Jenah Chybli thinks the hall passes are a good idea if they were slightly altered. 

“If the hallway pass feature were changed so the teacher could set an appropriate time, I would be much more okay with having the app,” Chybli said. 

Aside from hall passes, many students also don’t have a need to download the app. Features that would entice them include bus passes, lunch balance updates, and easy communication with peers and teachers. 

“Sometimes I don’t have my classmates’ email, which makes group projects and peer review really difficult,” Chybli said. 

She indicates that easy, accessible communication with not only peers, but teachers is critical.

“You could just click on a class and have an option to message your teacher,” Chybli said. 

Despite the aspects of the app that the student body dislikes, many tools on the app are well-liked and useful. 

“I like it because it has your I.D. on it,” freshman AJ Maroni said. 

The app allows for an online copy of a student’s I.D. that can be scanned. It is accessible after logging into the app with student information. 

“It is very convenient and I don’t have to always be wondering where my stuff is,” Chybli said. “It makes buying lunch and going into a sports game really easy.”

The events feature is also useful. It gives a daily update on the activities, clubs, sports events, and more that is taking place in the Grandview community. 

“It helps me keep myself on task for A Days and B days,” Vaisyanathan said. “Other than that, I don’t really use it.”

Like Vaisyanathan, many students are on the fence about the relevance, wondering if the app is really a needed tool. Almost all of the features on the app can be found on the school’s website

“I just don’t know if the app is worth downloading. Some features could be helpful, but it doesn’t make me really want [the app],”  Chybli said.