Recently, the WJ community has become more connected through the various Facebook groups that the SGA and WJ students have created. The groups such as “MadCows 2012-2013” and “WJ Class of 2012-13” are connecting WJ’s community by updating  school spirit, sports events and other activities.

In years past, students had to rely on the morning announcements and flyers for information. Now, student questions are being answered quickly and efficiently by constant Facebook group notifications.

Groups that invite students to certain activities such as the “WJ vs. Churchill Homecoming Game” and “Senior Movie Night” help our spirit and boost attendance for these events.

In addition, groups created for certain academic subjects, such as “AP Lang 2012-2013,” help students with their homework, aiding their understanding of complicated concepts that may initially seem impossible to grasp.

Although the benefits of the WJ community groups are clear, some may view these groups as annoying. For example, Facebook news feeds of students are often crammed with information that some may not even want to know. During the summer, the “Senior Girls ‘13” group was the major topic of discussion. A number of WJ students found the countless notifications about the senior girls shirts either irritating, unnecessary or both.

“Most of the information was useless but we ended up having great senior girl shirts,” said senior Samantha Chemali.

In the end, however, these groups are now a fact of student life at WJ—a potentially useful tool that can also be a timewaster.