I'm sure most of you have heard about the controversy of the activity period. Although, for those of you who don't understand it let me explain it to you. The activity period would be held 8th hour. Except last year it was 10th hour because of the 10 period schedule. So durnig 8th hour if you were involved with a sport you would go to your practice. If you weren't you would go to class like normal. This year we didn't have it "because of covid."
There are many benefits to keeping the activity period. Keep in mind this isn't "Harlan High," we are Harlan Community. What that means is that we aren't just Harlan. We are also Panama, Difiance, Earling, Westphalia, and more. The activity period was put in place to allow the kids that don't live in harlan to not get home so late from practice. Without the activity period the students that live outside of harlan could get home as late as 6. Students who do sports still need time with their families. The activity period allows the same amount of practice time and more time at home with your family, and time to do homework. It also helps if you have an away game and you miss 8th hour you aren't going to miss an important class to make up. Also the teachers that are coaches don't have to miss their 8th hour classes leaving the 8th hour students to not get the same quality of teaching.
The one benefit that taking away the activity period is to allow students to take more classes. Some people say it will improve our academics but their is no way of knowing that. I know for sure that taking one extra class will not improve our ACT scores or our Iowa Assessments. Another argument is that it allows kids to take more college classes. This can allow students to graduate at the same level as a sophmore in college. Now that is great, but this is highschool not a college. I think we need to focus on being in highschool. I believe that now in highschool is our time to play sports and we can worry about academics in college. Yes, athletes who are very good will play sports in college. Although, for average athletes, like me, now is our time to play because we won't play in college. Even if athletes play in college it just isn't the same experience as highschool. A good point I heard someone make was, "This change only benefits the already high achieving students who want to take more classes. For our extra curricular programs and the majority of students, it's a huge disadvantage."
For more information email me @kkenkel2024@hcsdcyclones.com
What is your opinion on the activity period?
Do you think it will really benefit us students?
Replies
Great topic choice and well done Kara!
I think that we should have a activity period because if we don't then students that are in sports won't get out of there activity until late in the day. Then they get home and they are tired and ready to go to bed but they have to do lots of homework.
I do think we should have an activity period because it also helps students who do not participate in sports by giving them basically an extra study hall period. I think it will also benefit teachers to give them more time to help students who need it.
I found the activity period helpful even though I wasn't in any sport, it was basically a last-hour study hall where I could get all my homework done without having to do it at home. Now that I am in sports I would like to have the activity period to make it easier for students who are in jazz band or any other activities.
I totally agree. It benefits those in sports and those not in sports. If your not in a sport you have a garaunteed study hall which is nice.
In my opinion, I think we should not have an activity period. I think education should always come before sports. I think certain students need 8th hour to take advantage of all the class opportunities. I also think there is a good amount of people who do not play sports. This is a waste of their time. I think if you signed up for a sport, you should know you are going to have late practices. I do not think practices even go that late. There's still plenty of time to go home and do homework.
When you live 20 minutes away from school you don't get home until 5:50 most practices. Also if you have games your getting home way too late. We still have to take into accountability of the people who don't live in harlan because we are harlan community.
I think that having an activity period could help many students, as you said, it would give students who are in sports the chance to spend more time with their fmilies and they'd have more time to do their homeowrks and they wouldn't be forced to do them at night or late which isn't very productive.
I think the activity period would really help, it would really help for the ones who live outside of Harlan too. The people who live outside of Harlan and have to drive from their town to practic and back all the time can be stressful and tiring. Like when I had Show Choir practice on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:00 I would have to go home in the dark and heading 13 miles towards home. People would get a lot of work done with this activity period
We should have an activity period, and it would greatly benefit students, making it easier so they wouldn't be as far behind in classes. So, yes we should 100% have an activity period.
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