Activity Day is the latest creation unique to AHS that in theory seems great, revolutionary even, but in practice is a little more blurry.

During Activity Day, students can learn how to crochet, make slime, play sports; or, try to make it to all fifty simultaneous club meetings they have. Indeed, Activities Day consists of activities both curricular and extracurricular. And out of its convenience, most clubs, including honor societies, schedule their usually mandatory monthly meetings during Activities Day. 

This was a tremendously larger problem at the beginning of the year- the first activity day I had four club meetings all at once- yet still persists, even if students now must choose between only two or three meetings to attend.

Activities Day also puts a pause on any productivity, homework, studying, or stuff students need to get done. As you progress through school at AHS, especially if pursuing the IB diploma, it becomes increasingly clear that W4 and Pride Time are two of the greatest assets you can take advantage of. 

The reality is that every W4 and Pride Time count. It could be the difference between passing or failing your summative; 90 minutes of homework or three hours; remediation or never understanding the topic. So, yes, it is too much to ask to set aside one Monday to make slime, because there is always something to do, and the workload never stops.

Finally, for those of us who deal with the two aforementioned problems, there is a great sense of unfairness about Activity Day. This event is supposed to be a break from “school”, yet multiplies stress and work. 

And there’s the frustration of not being able to do all those fun activities- snow globe making, chess, yoga- because of academic responsibilities. This really twists the knife. Keep Activity Day next year or leave it, but students need to be able to give more input in how it works.