Naperville North put a fresh new spin on First Class, the former late arrival program, by implementing the No Limits program. Its activities range from class discussions on topics such as cyberbullying to yoga. It’s ultimately up to the students, however, to determine if No Limits truly has something to offer.

First Class came to an end last school year, with its final session in May of 2018. No Limits has no designated leaders to run a session, but its executive board is student-led. The structure of the new program is quite a change from First Class, which was thoroughly structured with a specific lesson plan for each session. No Limits allows students to decide what they feel is a relevant topic from the provided list and simply talk about it.

Senior Neel Tripuraneni, an executive board member for No Limits, touched upon the goals the program is striving for.

“The goal of No Limits is to create a comfortable environment and familiarize the students about many different topics they could experience or are experiencing in their lives,” Tripuraneni said.

After the first session on Sept. 19 came to a close, many students felt that the new program was a much needed improvement. Junior Stephanie Uribe felt that the changes definitely impacted the atmosphere of the classroom.

“The program is run by everyone, not just First Class leaders, and more people will participate because it is less awkward,” Uribe said.

Junior Kevin Su felt that the program provides the students with a newfound freedom.

“No Limits is more self-directed and I like how we can pick what we talk about instead of being thrown into an activity,” Su said.

Others, such as junior Jordan Shi, supported the change, believing that No Limits utilizes the time much better, while First Class didn’t allow the students to actually learn anything.

“I don’t need someone to tell me to be positive or less stressed, I need something I can learn from, and I can definitely learn things from hearing other students’ opinions on certain topics,” Shi said.

Naperville North made the right decision by introducing No Limits. The elimination of student leaders allows for a less structured session and ultimately a more comfortable environment. Instead of having leaders read off a scripted lesson, students can pick what they currently think is relevant, and given this choice, they are more likely to pitch in their opinion on that topic. There is a wide variety of topics students can discuss upon, ranging from stress management to identifying and addressing abuse. The various topics are definitely applicable to students’ lives and can help them find a proper balance in order to excel in school.

The freedom of No Limits is a main reason why this program will be a success because there are simply so many different activities students can do during a session. If students don’t want to discuss, they can take part in meditation or Tai Chi, which is beneficial to their physical health. At the end of the day, there is so much students can learn from other students’ opinions or simply from a peaceful meditation.