Making Time for Community By Allen Marazas '64
High school is a time and a place to learn a good part of what will sustain us for the rest of our lives. But it isn’t all about books. Two of the essential parts of a student’s high school experience are the extracurricular activities in which they participate and the making of friends who may stay with them for decades or even longer. The COVID-19 pandemic and the pace of contemporary living have placed a giant obstacle in that process. Making lasting friends requires contact. One of our national responses to the pandemic has been to avoid contact as a way of slowing, or stopping, the spread of the virus. High school extracurricular activities in fact “teach” a variety of vital social skills. Teens today are pulled in so many directions with jobs, family, and personal obligations that they often cannot fit extracurricular activities into their busy schedules. For two years or more, students everywhere have been missing opportunities to meet and get to know their classmates. Points of contact beyond the classroom have traditionally been sports, clubs, social
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MARIAN MATTERS SPRING 2022
gatherings, band, and lunch, all of which were compromised due to the pandemic along with the fact that all of the above, except lunch, are mostly conducted after school hours. Recognizing this problem, and out of a concern to provide greater access to the many interactive activities that a school like Marian Catholic can offer its students, the school created opportunities for them to re-connect through a new program called “Community Period” held on Wednesdays during the school day. During Community Period, students can gather in small groups during an expanded lunch schedule that runs from 11:10 a.m. until 1:10 p.m. most Wednesdays. Mrs. Jennifer Lamb, Student Activities Director, explained how Community Day works. Several days before each Wednesday, students can view a spreadsheet showing all of the activities available that week, listed in four groups corresponding to the half hour sessions during Community Period. Students select the activities they wish to attend including lunch. One option always available, is to schedule a tutoring session with a teacher in whose subject a student needs help. Students currently
failing a subject are required to devote one session of each Community Period to tutoring. Students submit their choices using their iPads. Their choices are processed by the Marian Catholic Technology Department and a master list is created, attendance rosters are printed for each session, and students are informed of where and when they are scheduled for the upcoming Community Day. Students can choose what they wish from an eclectic list of clubs and activities. Clubs include traditional student activities such as Student Council, Yearbook, Art Club, Photography Club, and Service Club. Additional choices could include some not so traditional options like Game Club, Anime Club, Mock Trial, and Broadcast Team. Others include some possibly unexpected choices such as the Knitting Club, True Crime, Relaxation Through Coloring, and Good Food, Better Sleep. And finally, for those dedicated to serious matters, there is the Philosophy Club, Generation Green, International Club, and the Student Diversity Council. And this is only a partial list!
