TIMELY THINKING

Students share how they balance extracurriculars with schoolwork - and everything in between.

BY SHAHD SULEIMAN AND CARTER HOUCHINS-WITT

Iowa City’s West High School. “Where excellence is a tradition”.

e common phrase on the school grounds is used as o en to motivate its students as it does to produce stress. e stress of balancing classes with extracurricular activities, like theater, soccer, and clubs can be daunting. Many of West’s students believe the same; sometimes their grades su er as a result of the many activities they are doing outside of school hours. However, as the year goes on, many students learn to manage their time e ectively and e ciently.

Audrey Parrish 23’, who is in theater, speci cally the pit, loves what she does. She manages to prioritize school work and her AP’s while still doing well in her extracurriculars. “I would take on three assignments at the beginning of the cycle and nish those throughout the three weeks,” says Parrish, when asked about her homework schedule. “...

Every day I have something to do.” When it came to balancing rehearsals between the pit and orchestra, Parrish made compromises with her directors and ensured that they understood her situation. It wasn’t the most pleasing to everyone, but the compromises were better suited overall.

O en, sleep is sacri ced in order to please everyone. To make sure directors and teachers are happy, many students spend an awful amount of time doing homework and practicing for their extracurriculars. Coming before or a er school, and constantly struggling to make everything work with everyone’s schedules, not just their own.

Jacob Leist 24’ brings attention to how his directors care deeply for their students.

He [Christian Aanestad] was the only teacher that, like pulled me aside, and was like. “Hey, I’m here for you if you need anything. I want you to make sure that your health is a priority over the theater. Because I care more about your health than the production.”

Overall, though the many parts of theater can be hard to manage for everyone along with their school work, the payo is worth it. e thought of hours training on the eld, right a er school is daunting to many. It lls one’s head throughout the day, the constant thinking of soccer practice and the game. Wondering how their future performance will later a ect them. It gives players a thrill of some sort. Yet, managing time and being productive with the constant threat of playing badly is not something to be easily coped with.

Procrastination is a major cause of worse grades and more stress. Andres Sanchez ‘26 says “ [I procrastinate] All the time… I still get A’s and B’s regardless”. He tries to meet deadlines on time, and hopes that his teachers are understanding of his situation. e sport itself is o en taxing, as it ranges to almost two hours every weekday. e love for the sport o en overpowers any negative feelings. However, many people still get the standard 7-8 hours of sleep while managing school work and their a er-school activities. “I always prioritize fam- ily before soccer,” Sanchez says. “ ey prioritize grades for me.” To the future freshman, he has di erent advice. “Put school and your grades before soccer. I know. It’s gonna be hard to do that. But trust me when you have all your schoolwork done, it feels good. en you can focus on soccer, and you can get better.” e sport itself allows players to form a sort of friendship with many of their teammates. Zeid Alwahdani 26’ says “Me and my teammates have really formed bonds this past year…I hope they would describe me as a leader and a hard worker and most importantly a good teammate.” And though managing school with friends, family, soccer, and the little free time they get, they still make it work. “Everybody is on their own level,” he says, referencing how everyone manages their time. “I think people like my parents think I’m productive and just a little bit inconsistent.” And although he is right in stating that everybody’s on their own, that does not take away from the friendships the team has with one another. Since starting soccer at 4, and ISC (Iowa Soccer Club) at 10, Alwahdani has known that it is something he’d wish to pursue in the long term. ere is beauty in the struggle of juggling it all; loving the game and wanting to succeed in your education, all while making your family proud. Athletes tend to feel a sense of accomplishment, pride even. Rightfully earned, as without their discipline, they would not be able to achieve the positions that they are currently in.

Tiago Gonzalez ‘26 plays for varsity as a freshman. He loves the sport and encourages many to put it above all else. “I’m a freshman on the team, so a lot of people don’t really listen to me,” he says. “... [I spend] all [my] time thinking about soccer”. It is something that most players have in common; school and family being of essence to many, but soccer being something of equal importance. “My parents are all for soccer,” he says, explaining that his situation makes it easier for him to be less stressed.

Even for those who aren’t in sports, time management is still a struggle. Especially for those in many clubs, like Speech and Debate, chess club, or any one of the countless other clubs with copious amounts of time invested, including competitions and events. With over 50 clubs at West, someone is always going to be doing something that has to do with a club. Everyone is somehow involved. How do students deal with this extra time commitment to clubs, in addition to competitions, assignments, jobs, and family obligations?

One factor that plays a role is sleep. Sleep is the ultimate sacrice. You can use as much time as you want, and you pay your debts in sleep. is a ects some worse than others because some people can average nine to ten hours of sleep, while some can average three to four. However, even for kids who get a lot of sleep, having less sleep still a ects them. Someone who averages nine hours of sleep getting seven in a night is worse o , for that day than someone who averages three hours and gets ve.

Clubs and Academics take a lot of time out of your schedule. Gwen Smith 26’ can be involved in clubs for over nine hours a week. In ad- dition to ve to ten hours of homework concentrated on school days, that can be three to four hours outside of school. Once school, transport, and sleep is factored into the equation, that only leaves two to three hours of free time.

Many spend a lot of time in school outside of school hours. Sports, arts, academics, and clubs all take many leading roles in the lives of students. Once priorities are set straight, some things are le in the dust, such as sleep, homework, or family commitment. Every time you join a school activity, you sacri ce a little of your time to something that might be better for you but might not. It’s all a balance of risk and reward. Some people can enjoy being in many activities. Others prefer spending time at a job and with their family. It’s all about the person, though. Whatever works for each person works for them, and it is up to them to decide how to spend their time.

1. Band students practice for Jazz Cafe with the event’s two guest performers.

2. Ashley Seo ’23, Heidi Du ’23, and Aviva Fraer ’23 hold West High’s banner during the University of Iowa homecoming parade.

3. Waylon Houchins-Witt ’25, Gwen Gonzalez ’24, and Sam Rosenthal ’24 march at the University of Iowa homecoming parade.