Archives: April 2018

Time Management

Added on April 30, 2018 by Sabrina.H

Time Management

Many students dedicate a lot of their time to extracurriculars, sports, volunteer work, jobs, etc. I myself have dedicated my entire life to gymnastics, where I spend every afternoon of every week practicing for just a few moments of glory every year. Spending all of this time involved in something like this makes you realize how important time is, especially when you're involved in the IB program. After all of these years, I have picked up a few tips and tricks on time management and how balancing your social life, extracurriculars, and school work can be done effectively. I've finally learned that balancing my time would help me in the long run and would relieve a lot of unnecessary stress as well.

Firstly, realizing where your time is going helps you understand how you could be using your time better and create a more efficient schedule that lets you control where your time is being spent and how it could be spent better. Setting priorities helps you focus on activities that are most important and allows you to categorize the most important to least important things you need to get done. The best way to manage your time is to stay organized. I recommend using a calendar or planner and daily to-do list, to check off items as you complete them. I also recommend doing tough tasks first while you're fresh and alert and breaking large projects down into smaller chunks to complete these projects more efficiently. I know my main drawback when it comes to time management is procrastination. I've learned that the best ways to avoid procrastination is to set daily priorities, try focusing for short amounts of time instead of hours at a time, and attempting difficult tasks at your high-energy time since your concentration will be easier then. Don't allow interruptions, like a loud room to study or your friend's bothering you, get in your way or else juggling your work may seem much more difficult than it actually is and you'll just become more discouraged. These few tips and tricks may just save you from a sleepless night of studying in the future.

 

Choosing A Sport

Added on April 13, 2018 by Gloria.E

Choosing A Sport

Sports are exciting extracurricular activities that keep you happy, fit, and engaged. But, there's a variety to choose from, each fitting different personalities and abilities. It's great to have an insight on multiple different sports so that you understand the commitment and qualities used in each one. Many sports seem like barely any work when watching, but you'd be surprised at how much practice and effort they put in. I totally recommend playing a sport and trying new ones, but make sure that don't just do it to play a sport. You want to find one that you'll enjoy and will be a great addition to your daily routine.

I've put together a list of commitments required for two fall sports (swimming and volleyball) since they're both very popular and fun to try! It also includes what it's like to play it. I've gotten volleyball information from experience, and interviewed a friend to learn about the WPS swimming program.

Volleyball:

  1. Practices
They are usually 2 hours long and 5 days a week for JV, 6 days a week for varsity. Practices usually involve running (as a warm up or if we make mistakes), ball control warm ups (such as passing), controlled scrimmage, and a few other drills that vary between practices.

  1. Games

Before games, players eat team meals together and then either start warming up, or take a van to the game (if it is away). Each game is best out of 3 sets for JV, and best out of 5 for varsity. If it goes into the last set, that will go to 15 points, while all the other sets go to 25 points. Varsity must watch half of JV's game, and JV must watch half of varsity's.

3. Positives

It's an exciting sport to play with friends and there are many positions for people with different skills. There are different actions done throughout each game such as hitting, blocking, setting, serving, and passing. People in the back row pass (and occasionally hit), while people in the front row, besides the setter (who sets) hit and block with an occasional pass. That way, if you dislike one activity, but enjoy the other, you can specialize in your favorite aspect of the game.

Swimming(Information provided by a brief interview with swimmer, Sophia Hill):

Q: How long are practices?

SH: Practices for JV are usually an hour and a half, and practices for varsity are typically two hours long.

Q: What exercises are usually done during practices?

SH: Practices involve a variety of exercises such as breathing exercises, relays, arm and leg movements, and diving practice.

Q: How long and how often are meets?

SH: Meets during the season are typically once a week, or twice if one is on a Saturday.

Q: What are some positives of doing swimming?

Swimming has multiple benefits, such as getting into shape, becoming stronger, breathing better, plus the overall spirit of the team is very uplifting.

As you can see, they both have many commitments, but also many benefits that come with them. I hope this helped you get a thorough insight on these sports and motivated you to consider trying one!

 

Softball

Added on April 4, 2018 by Shailee.S

Softball

Contrary to my 8th grade year, this year's team was very successful. I was adamant not to give up on playing softball even though the previous year we had was disheartening. We had developed very good team chemistry despite having no wins and we were feeling confident of having a better season. People seemed to sense this and wanted to be a part of our team. We had some experienced players come to our school and join our team furthering our enthusiasm. Having these skilled members, allowed our team to position players by skill not by necessity.

Our team and coaching staff worked together like a well oiled machine. Our compatibility coupled with a desire to win led to a change in our record from 0-12 to 10-6. As a dedicated, experienced member of the team, I was awarded the position of team captain, as a 9th grader. I continued to encourage others around me and I was determined to be the best teammate I could be. To improve my skills, I would take time after practice to do extra drills on the field or in the batting cage.

 

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