Connected at school

Published January 22, 2007 at midnight

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Jay Westcott, 15

Grade: 10th

School: East High School

Connectivity: cell phone, iPod

Use: He's not supposed to use his phone during class, but "I still do because I get bored in class," he says. "It makes the time go by faster." He's gotten in trouble for using it during just about every class. "Sometimes they just tell you to put it away. Sometimes with extreme teachers they put it away and your mom has to come in and talk to the teacher to get it back for you."

Message load: 75 to 100 text messages a day

Zuri House, 15

Grade: 10th

School: East High School

Connectivity: iPod and phone

Use: Like most students, she uses her phone in class even when it's not allowed: "It's hard not to — it's just there." Her phone has been taken away in algebra class and given back to her at the end of the period.

Message load: 75 text messages a day

Joshua Wardell, 13

Grade: eighth

School: Nevin Platt Middle School, Boulder

Connectivity: cell phone

Use: He says he needs a phone because of after-school sports — he wrestles and plays football and baseball. "The only time I use it during school is in math class for the calculator, and I have to show the teacher it doesn't have text-messaging." He believes that his friends rely too much on cell phones. "When I'm over at their house and they're always on the phone, that gets kind of annoying after a while."

Message load: none

Antonio Sotelo, 17

Grade: 11th

School: Iver C. Ranum High School

Connectivity: cell phone

Use: He says he needs a phone "in case my family needs to call me or, like, if my friends want to text me." If his school banned cell phones and iPods, what would his reaction be? "I'd probably be mad. There's nothing else for us to do. We've got to have something."

Message load: 4,000 messages in eight days

Lucy Roper, 16

Grade: 10th

School: East High School

Connectivity: Cell phone, iPod and camera

Use: She said that whether you're allowed to use a cell phone to text-message depends on the class, "but you end up using it anyway, even if you're not." She was caught texting in Spanish class and her phone was taken away for two days.

Message load: 100 times a day, "minimum"

Savhana Valverde, 16

Grade: 11th

School: Iver C. Ranum High School

Connectivity: cell phone

Use: She says she needs a phone "in case anything happens with my family or something." She text-messages a lot because "it's easier to text than to make a phone call." Her mother tells her not to use it in class, but she adds, "If there was an emergency and your mom was texting you, you should be able to have it." She believes using her iPod "helps me during school to focus on my work."

Kelsey Spencer, 13

Grade: eighth

School: Nevin Platt Middle School

Connectivity: cell phone

Use: "Sometimes my mom is, like, late or something to pick me up. Or sometimes I want to go to the football game or basketball game, and I have to ask." She usually sends only one text message a day "because I want to keep (the cell phone), and I don't want to overdo it and get my parents mad." If her school banned cell phones and iPods, she would "probably have to be a lot more organized," she says. "If I planned something with a friend, we'd have to figure it out before."

Message load: one a day

Jacob Lorentzen, 13

Grade: seventh

School: Nevin Platt Middle School

Connectivity: cell phone

Use: He keeps the phone with him so his parents know where he is, "and just in case my mom is late and I need to clarify something with her." He sends maybe one text message a week because it takes him a while. "Like, you have to push a button three times to get a 'C.' I'm not that fast at it, but lots of kids are really into it." If he had to choose between a cell phone and an iPod, "I'd probably pick a cell phone because I can communicate with my friends and tell them where I'm going and what I'm doing," he says.

Message load: one a week

Geoff Donahue, 16

Grade: 10th

School: East High School

Connectivity: cell phone, iPod

Use: "You're not really allowed to use them, but you still do." He's gotten in trouble for using his phone during class, and it was taken away from him. "I text a lot," he admits.

Message load: 100 to 125 times a day

Tracy Smith, 15

Grade: 10th

School: East High School

Connectivity: cell phone, iPod and camera

Use: She said that whether you're allowed to use your phone during class depends on the teacher. "Some don't care if you use them in class, and some take them away." Her phone was confiscated during chemistry class.

Message load: "I can't even count. At least 100 times a day."

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