On February 13th, students and teachers came to school with a little less ennui than usual, because when else can you explore the queerness of nature or the complex history of Coca – Cola?
Teachers usually are limited to the curriculum. Something is plopped into their hands — sometimes they snatch at it, sometimes they grip it loosely and try to justify it: “it will help them practice discipline, problem solving.” Then, they tell us about it and give us a test on it; that’s how it works. It’s a routine, a requirement — but let’s face it: whoever’s working behind the scenes needs to pull a new rabbit out of the hat.
Academic Field Day was our rabbit. The day helped teachers rekindle their spark and remember why they chose to become teachers: the eager kids hanging on every word, the motivation to be the mentor they needed at their students’ age, the sense of a job well done, not just a ‘gets the job done.’
Academic Field Day also allowed students to get a glimpse into the lives and personalities of their teachers. The day helped them remember that teachers are real people with passions, not just the ruthless grade machines that are imagined when face to face with the humbling realities of the student portal. However, the day, in some ways, was perhaps greater in its potential than in its outcome.
Many HHS students expressed frustration with the singular google form shared amongst all four grades. Because everybody was signing up at the same time on the same form, chaos was inevitable. Some kids got placed into duplicate classes, and, according to freshman Avi Lessa, “some people [they] knew got put into classes they didn’t want to be in.” So, requests were sent out, and schedules were reworked. This seemed like a easy fix, but for freshmen like Phinn Buckley who “had a class intended for 15 people that had about 31 students in it because the office just sent them there,” this may not have been the best move.
There were also some concerns about the lack of preferential treatment for seniors. As Carlin McKinnon, a senior, said, “Even though I signed up for the majority of the same classes as my friends, I wasn’t with any of them at all, even as a senior who’s done this before.” Usually, it’s the upperclassmen who get the upper hand, so the seniors felt entitled to the first picks despite the even playing field. This created confusion, and classes with melded grades and lukewarm cohesion.
With no shortage of kids, complex schedule changes, and scattered classrooms, it was easy to slip under the radar — this was the golden opportunity for skippers. As junior Maya Ganeshananthan said, “I think there were definitely some kids who were skipping as they saw it as a less serious day.” A step away from routine, although not without its benefits, can certainly come with downsides. We may gain freedom, but we lose control. There was no way for faculty to really ensure that everyone was where they needed to be; the students weren’t even completely aware of this themselves, tangled up in the jumbled nature of the day. However, Mr. Merchant, the spearheader of AFD, said that he would try to iron out the logistics for next year, that, “moving forward, we need to make sure students are going to the workshops they were assigned. Once people start switching workshops it becomes a nightmare trying to make sure everybody is where they need to be.”
The schedules may have been dicey, but the outlook, for the most part, was positive. Academic Field Day was a welcome distraction from the formulaic consistency of high school, especially for students like Phinn Buckley, who felt that, “subconsciously, (he) enjoyed going to classes without the mounting pressure of college. The things were all about as interesting as some of (his) classes, but (he) didn’t have to worry about them.” Grades and deadlines work to an extent, but after a while, pressure builds and passion gets interrupted by the endless stream of assignments and expectations. Sophomore Siri Lambert felt that she formed new connections, “Academic Field Day definitely helped me become closer with the teachers who were leading my activities because I got to see them in a less structured and academic setting, which allowed us to joke around more.”
Academic Field day, although an amazing and unique opportunity, was certainly not without its faults and muddled logistics. However, the unpredictability of the day brought the opportunity to step outside the comfort zone and experience something unfamiliar. Sure, it makes sense to sign up for the game of 24 as a mathematician, but if you limit yourself to what you know, you may end up missing out on something you’d love.
