II. Afternoon Program

Upper School 2021-2022

II. Afternoon Program

A. Philosophy & Requirements

In conjunction with the philosophy of the Academy, our afternoon requirement places an emphasis on developing a healthy, active lifestyle and is consistent with our belief that students should interact with their peers both on and off campus. We believe the experiences gained from physical activity benefit our students and play a significant role in allowing them to develop the skills, attitudes and habits necessary to build a strong mind, body and spirit.

The Athletic Department has the discretion to alter or change the following policies and requirements during the course of the 2021-2022 school year to ensure we follow the health and safety guidelines. The following requirements apply:

• All students in Grades 9 and 10 must participate in three seasons from the group options. • All Grade 11 students and members of the graduating class (seniors and postgraduates) must participate in a minimum of two seasons of the group option. During the other seasons, these students can choose either a group or individual option. • Students are required to participate on a daily basis and attendance is taken daily. In addition, both the group and individual options have a minimum weekend commitment of five Saturday meetings per trimester for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours.

B. Afternoon Program Concentration (APC)

An Afternoon Program Concentration provides an opportunity for a student with a demonstrated commitment and expertise in a certain extracurricular area to focus on that area for an additional amount of time within a given school year. This is considered an exception to our normal Afternoon Program requirements. The application will be sent to the student upon registering for a concentration for the first time on the Afternoon Programs sign-up form sent out to all students. All applications are due by Aug. 1.

Applicants will have their proposals evaluated by the Afternoon Program Concentration Committee. This committee will determine whether the proposal is accepted or not. Those receiving the concentration will have a full evaluation at the end of the school year by the Director of Athletics to determine the success of their concentration and whether they may continue it for the following year.

Upper School 2021-2022

C. Determination of Play

All students must attend tryouts and are placed at the appropriate playing level. The Head Coach makes the final decision in placement and playing time.

D. Change Policy

A student will have one week at the beginning of each season to change their Afternoon Program. In some cases (e.g. varsity/junior varsity cuts), changes may take longer. If a student does not report to their afternoon program during this period, the student is given an unexcused absence for each missed day.

E. Program Obligations & Attendance

A student must attend a majority of their classes during the day to participate in athletics and activities. A student must attend all daily classes in order to participate on competition days. Students who have excused absences may participate in the competition with valid and/or formal documentation.

Any student seen by a physician must submit a written note from the medical doctor to the athletic trainer stating the diagnosis, physical limitations and the date when the student may resume physical activity. Notes or phone calls from a parent will not be accepted in place of a physician's note. An injured student must attend all practices and contests. If an injured student does not attend practices and games, they will earn unexcused absences for each day they do not attend.

Absences are considered unexcused unless the student provides the Director of Athletics/Assistant Director of Athletics with a written explanation (usually medical) no later than 48 hours after the absence. The only person able to excuse absences would be the Director of Athletics or Assistant Director of Athletics. In the case where the student is absent and excused for the entire academic day, athletic or activity absences are also excused.

A missed game or other extended day obligation (ex: Wed/Sat) counts for two unexcused absences. Students may be given detention and/or work detail for earning an unexcused absence from their game. Four or more unexcused absences or a total of eight (excused or unexcused) will result in the failure of a sport or activity.

If a student is removed from an afternoon activity for conduct reasons, accumulates four unexcused or a combination of eight excused and unexcused absences, they fail the season requirement. The student will be required to serve five detentions and five work details, and in most cases will attend their normal daily afternoon program. If a student fails at