SPORTS
As freshmen athletes, Wyatt Eby and Jordan Hernadez attend mandatory study hall Sept. 24 in the theater. Photo by TISHA DEGAMO
Study hall on early release Mondays gives athletes a chance to put school first
making Mondays matter A
flood of athletes gathers in the theater each Monday. They find their assigned row with one empty seat separating each player. They take out their homework and use their laps as desks. Two hours of study hall begins. Athletic Director Mr. Jason Feuerbach passes around a roll sheet. If there seems to be a discrepancy, Feuerbach counts heads and checks the names signed in. If they don’t match, he calls roll. All freshman athletes and any athlete in grades 10-12 who have a GPA of 2.5 or lower are required to attend. “The goal is for freshmen to develop good habits to use for the future. For freshmen this is more of a positive thing; [for grades 10-12] it is a negative consequence because they didn’t put that effort into their school,” Feuerbach said. Students can use their cellphones as long as it’s productive. They can use electronic devices to read a book, as a calculator or for music but they cannot text or browse social media sites. If athletes need help, tutors are on hand in the lobby. Talking is not allowed inside the theater except for that tutoring area. For Tristan Carder, study hall is just what he needed to get his homework done on time. “I like the study hall because it gives athletes some extra time to do homework and to get caught up on work you need to get done,” Carder said. Coach Tim Farnan said study hall is beneficial to all athletes because it is another chance for them to get their work done. “Athletes don’t have a lot of time. They go to long practices, they come home and don’t want to do homework. They go to bed. I rarely did my homework after practice,” Farnan said. Alannah Frankel said the mandatory study hall has some problems that need to be resolved. “I dislike the fact that we cannot talk or eat. I understand that Feuerbach doesn’t want it to be a socializing time, but most students have to get help from their friends because the tutors are not helpful. They [don’t] remember what I was studying, so they couldn’t teach me,” Frankel said. THE ROAR
Taylor Choisser dislikes the fact that she has to go to study hall, feeling it’s a waste of time for her. “I do not have practice after school on Monday. I have practice before school, so I think it’s a waste of time. I just want to go home on those days. [Also] I don’t bring more homework to school that is due the next day because I don’t have those classes, so I usually just sit there,” Choisser said. Not everyone can attend each Monday, either because of a doctor’s appointment or due to illness. The Student Athletic Committee came up with solutions for those athletes so they don’t lose that time if they can’t make it to study hall. “They have four days to make it up. They do it before school or at lunch in the front office. If they don’t make it up, they sit out their next game,” Feuerbach said. The program seems to be working, as the number of ineligible athletes has declined. At the end of the first grading period in 2012, 40 athletes were ineligible. This year that number was 27. ARIELLA APPLEBY
Varsity soccer player Zach Monroe demonstrates the balance between athletics and academics. Photo illustration by ARIELLA APPLEBY
12