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Athletes Work Hard on the Field and on Their Studies

Charlotte+Rossi+17+has+to+work+efficiently+on+her+homework+after+a+long+day+of+classes+and+soccer+practice.
Photo by Caroline Rossi
Charlotte Rossi ’17 has to work efficiently on her homework after a long day of classes and soccer practice.

When the clock strikes 5:30 on any given school afternoon, many students are at least half way through their homework, if not finished. Others have procrastinated for the past three hours, but are now ready to get down to business. Then, there are still others that have just woken up from a refreshing nap, and now have the energy to complete their studies.

Yet, the athletes of our school are first getting home from a straining practice.After showering and eating dinner, they will finally get to unzip their backpack and begin their work.

“The hardest part about managing school and sports is on the days of cross country meets. We usually get home around seven or eight and by that point I am already exhausted from the meet and have a hard time staying awake to finish my homework,” said Jordyn Patterson ’14.

However, she finds that having minimal time actually motivates her.

“I have less time to procrastinate and it forces me to plan times to get my work done efficiently,” Patterson said.

Baseball player Sam Ellinwood ’14 agrees: “Well it can be really difficult at times for sure, although completely doable if you don’t procrastinate. Often if you balance out your workload by planning ahead it really isn’t too bad…I’m not saying I’m very good at this.”

And for freshman athletes, one would expect it to be even more stressful. Combine the transition to high school with hours of practice after school, and it seems to scream “overload.” But varsity soccer player Charlotte Rossi ’17 has quickly learned to manage it all.

“It does require a lot of organization and advanced preparation. I use my free periods to get a head start on my homework each day and I use my weekends to get work done for the upcoming week,” she said.

Other than getting ahead and avoiding procrastination, Ellinwood has found one thing to be truly helpful: his teachers.

“If you are close with your teachers, they will most likely have no problem with giving you an extension for a day or two on a paper or project, as long as you let them know in advance.”

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Rachel Labarre, Managing Editor
She trades her pointe shoes in for her spiral notebook.  Her dance classes for journalism classes.  Her spot at the front of the stage for her position on the Inklings staff. Rachel Labarre '14 has the unique ability to allow the creativity and passion she has in the dance studio to influence her writing style and work ethic. This work ethic is what gives Labarre the edge it takes to hold one of the most prestigious spots on the Inklings staff: Managing Editor. But what got her there? Labarre’s first claim to fame was her dance career, but there was one thing holding her back. “On top of the problems with my feet that I already had, I broke my foot during dress rehearsal for our big recital,” Labarre said. This forced Labarre to cut back on dance classes the following year.  All the energy and creativity that was once put into nailing a routine needed an outlet.  She found this outlet through writing for Inklings. Labarre landed a job as an editor her sophomore year.  She then went from Editor of Arts and Entertainment to Features Editor.  Labarre’s inventiveness has allowed her to climb the steps to the top of Inklings. “When you write there’s a certain part that requires creativity; whether it’s getting a good angle or keeping your readers engaged.  You have to do the same in dance; whether it’s perfecting the choreography or figuring out what will look the most atheistically pleasing” Labarre  said.  She was able to prove this ability in her article on the Sandy Hook shooting, which got over 50,000 hits.  This passion for the arts and creativity has not only led LaBarre to success on the stage, but in the classroom as well.  

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