There’s no doubt that many students around Liberty are busy. Most of them are student-athletes or are involved in extracurricular activities.
Adding an extra activity to a busy school schedule can be a fun new opportunity for many students, but their mental health can be affected negatively by the addition. Students’ mental health during their peak season of extracurriculars significantly decreases because of the stress of school grades and their activity conflict (Hopkins Medicine).
“I try not to get too stressed out about it [her schedule]. Normally when I get home from practice I go straight to homework and get it all done. I know when I need to prioritize things, so when I know I have a test the next day, I make sure that goes first before I go to volunteer at the North Liberty Food Pantry,” said Eva Karam (she/her), 9, who both volunteers and does sports, all while managing her academics.
On top of sports, many students at Liberty also do volunteer hours or have a job. Karam volunteers at the North Liberty Food Pantry regularly.
“It definitely is a struggle to keep up with volunteering on top of my academics, but I remember how it makes me feel at the end of the day, which keeps me going, and it always puts a smile on my face when I’m done,” said Karam.
Karam also does many sports at Liberty.
“At Liberty, I do volleyball, wrestling and softball, so coming home at ten p.m. every night, knowing I have a test the next day, can be a bit draining, especially for an every night routine,” said Karam.
Karam is not the only student at Liberty who is experiencing a busy schedule. Molly Miller (she/her), 10, has a 4.5 GPA, is involved in the Liberty Dance Team and dances for Nolte Academy outside of school hours.
“It’s hard to keep up with everything, especially [with] a high GPA and making sure I’m still exceeding their goals for me at practice both for [Liberty] Dance Team and Nolte [Academy]. I don’t want to let any of my teachers or coaches down, so I make everyone happy during school and practice hours and then deal with the homework and other tasks alone at home before bed,” explained Miller.
Excessive homework can have a negative impact on students’ mental health. Adding a sport or extracurricular activity to their daily routine can increase the struggle for students, especially the night before a quiz or test. (National Education Association)
“Trying to keep up with everything has taken a toll on my mental health, especially getting home late from practice and still having multiple pages of homework that need to be finished can be very draining for me. There’s nights where I will stay up until 11 p.m. making sure I have all my homework done and ready to go for the next day, but it all ends up repeating itself,” said Miller.
Many other students are being affected by a busy schedule; however, Karam and Miller are just two who are experiencing the stress of both keeping up good grades and making their coaches proud.