6 minute read
Making Time for Community
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 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!
The list of clubs and activities remains largely the same from week to week, but can change as it is adjusted for students’ interests and available supervision and space. Marian Catholic alumni are invited to share their college and career experiences and relevant life experiences. The intention is to touch on as many of the wide ranging interests of a 21st Century teen as possible, and expand the students’ experience with others of diverse and similar interests.
Junior Kennedy Walton is a member of the nationally recognized Marian Catholic Band which requires a considerable commitment of time both during and after school, and is also a participant in the Mock Trial competition among several high schools. She meets with her group’s moderator and her fellow teammates during Community Period to research evidence and plan their strategy for upcoming trial competitions. Without Community Period, Kennedy’s busy band schedule might make it difficult, or impossible, for her to participate in the Mock Trial competition. She has also met new people and made new friends through the Community Period.
Mr. Mike Carlson, Director of Networks and Assistant Science Olympiad Coach, moderates a session in the Community Period for students who are part of Marian Catholic’s Science Olympiad team. The Olympiad is a competition among several high schools in the areas of Science and Engineering. Junior Allison Nelvin was working on building a model bridge in a recent Community Period. The bridge, built of balsa wood, when completed, would be used in an upcoming competition, Bags of sand will be put on competing bridges until they collapse from the weight of the sand. The bridge holding the most weight before breaking will win the competition. In another category, Allison and the Olympiad team are building a model catapult for a similar competition.
Mr. Michael Wamble, English teacher and advisor to Marian Catholic’s digital newspaper, the Spartan Star, monitors two of the four sessions during the Community Period for students to plan and work on articles for the next edition of the student newspaper. He is also available along with the rest of the faculty for one of the four sessions to help students who are struggling in his English classes. The remaining period is available for lunch.
In addition to his activities with the Spartan Star, senior Andrew Barrajas takes full advantage of Community Period. He says, “I usually use all four of the segments of Community Period to participate in activities. I skip my lunch just to do the activities I’m passionate about … like the Open Mic Night planning, Science Olympiad, and Book Club. In addition to the above, Andrew is in the Band participating in Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Symphonic Band.
For freshman Matt Peters, Community Period has proven to be a welcome convenience. He says, “I use Community Day to sign up for clubs like Political Club and the newspaper. While I mostly do have time after school to join them, it’s nice to have it during the school day rather than after.” Matt is an enthusiastic supporter of Community Day saying, “I honestly wish Community Period could be two days of the week instead of one.”
Community Period was conceived as a way to allow students the opportunity to participate in clubs and activities that they would otherwise not be able to join due to after school jobs, transportation issues, family responsibilities, or conflicting schedules. It also creates opportunities for students to meet and make new friends. Principal Steve Tortorello considers the program to be a success and hopes it will become a Marian Catholic tradition. He said, “The vast majority of what students learn in their teen years is outside of their books. How to interact with others, how to try new things; are all “soft” skills that are infinitely important for students’ growth. All of the feedback from employers as they look toward the future is that they need citizens who have mastered their “soft skill” elements, and that it’s time for schools to start building them into how we help our kids grow. Community Period helps toward that end.”
