As a part of the student council’s (STUCO) efforts to increase their presence this year, STUCO planned to host a kickball tournament after spring break. Following the tournament’s cancellation, frustrations and mixed viewpoints from EHS staff and students have surrounded the discussion on the balance between academic success and social success at EHS.
On Mar. 11, 2025, STUCO advisor Justice Aleman announced plans for the kickball tournament in an email to the student body. Aleman wanted to continue the success of the badminton tournament hosted during the first semester and provide another time to come together as a student body. “The badminton tournament was pretty successful. I received positive feedback from students and staff. I feel like it was time for everyone to come together.
We wanted to do something similar this semester, and it works out if we follow what’s going on in P.E. We originally wanted to do volleyball, but we did kickball because it was easy to set up and we could get through games pretty quickly,” said Aleman.
Teams were co-ed and could include staff with teams of 6-10 players. The entry fee was 10 dollars, and the winning team would get a prize. The tournament was supposed to run multiple weeks during advising, and games were slated to begin on Apr. 7, but on Mar. 31, Aleman sent another email informing the student body that the tournament had been canceled.
According to Aleman, participation numbers played a minor part in the cancellation, but the largest factor was the push-back from teachers due to the kickball tournament being scheduled during SAT prep week.
EHS social studies teacher Doug Preston said, “Both social and academic success are important. What Mrs. Aleman is doing with STUCCO is awesome; however, we are here to teach academics, and they are both important.”
Aleman said, “I had a couple kids come to me and say there were some teachers that had been pushing back on it saying this time should be used to study for the upcoming PSAT and SAT, so some kids didn’t want to participate.” Aleman understands the importance of advising to be used for studying, but she also wants to provide relief for some kids. Aleman believes that the tournament and time wouldn’t be hurtful to students. “I was pretty disappointed it had to be canceled, so we are trying to figure out if there is something we could do towards the end of April into early May,” said Aleman.
President of STUCO, Ryan Sharp, views the cancellation of the tournament in a similar light. Sharp said, “I see the cancellation as there not being enough student participation. We came up with these ideas, but for the future of STUCO, I hope the leaders will be able to find a way to increase participation.” Sharp acknowledges the difficulty of planning and preparing activities for the student body, but if STUCO wants to truly become an important voice of EHS for students, push-back from students and staff only makes it more difficult.
It’s important to find a balance between social activities and academic success at EHS. The community should celebrate and encourage student-led activities, especially STUCO ones. The focus lies with the community, though. If academic success is a top priority within EHS, then of course, the focus should be on preparing students for the SAT.
However, if the focus is on the development of school spirit, then community push-back and lack of involvement is detrimental to STUCO’s end goal. Aleman said, “We have to understand everyone’s different points of view and know that we cannot accommodate everyone. I think we need to get out of our comfort zones and adapt. I hope kids see the difference in STUCO and we continue going in the direction that we are right now.”
Additionally, questions must also be raised about the value of advising. If advising is being used correctly and in a productive way then there should be no reason for pushback from teachers. Preston said, “I think if teachers are utilizing advising correctly and pushing their kids to do work that’s academic in nature, I don’t know why there’d be pushback. It’s up to the teachers to be responsible for utilizing time in advising appropriately. What’s happening with STUCO right now is really exciting, and they are doing a great job.”
The canceled event reveals some answers about balancing social and academic success, utilization of advising periods, and STUCO’s end goal. It’s clear that in order for all parties to be successful, communication is key. Understanding the numerous points of view and finding a happy medium to increase student engagement and academic success is of the utmost importance.
