Participants develop academic and professional skills and
knowledge beyond the classroom. They practice team building and
cooperative planning, build friendships and camaraderie with
classmates, and interact with motivated and positive students
from other schools. Full commitment over a period of two to
four years also adds to a student’s resume for college, and many
teams exist in some form at the university level, often with
scholarships. Finally, academic teams provide opportunities for
new experiences and fun activities!
We invite new freshmen and new and returning students to join any
of the Academic Teams, typically at the beginning of the school
year. No background or previous experience is required, however,
applications and auditions and/or interviews are held for many
teams.
Contact either the coach directly or Mrs. Cassy McGreevy, Director
of Student Activities.
Students must have a 2.0 GPA, no F, and no more than 1 D on the
previous semester’s transcript.
Team membership commits the student to attending and
participating in the meetings, practices and competitions just as
an athletic team member would attend her sports practices and
games. If the student has an excused absence from school on
the day of a practice, that absence will be excused; however, the
coach may need to drop that student if her absences are hindering
the progress of the team or it becomes too difficult to catch up.
The athletic, fine arts, and academic team directors work
together to resolve scheduling conflicts as much as possible in
the best interest of the student and the team. However, it is the
responsibility of the student and her parents to carefully
evaluate her availability for tournaments, competitions, and
performances to assure that overlap is avoided or is cleared by
the coach/director well in advance.
Students receive 1 academic credit per semester for each semester
that they participate in an academic team. Letter grades
will be based on regular attendance at team practices, and
preparation for and participation in practices and competitions,
per the team syllabus. Grades appear on the transcript and
count towards unit requirements, but not towards students’
semester or cumulative GPAs. For the purpose of college
applications, we currently recommend that academic teams be
listed as extra-curriculars.
The school provides entry fees for local, regional and state
competitions (and national when possible). Out-of-town
competitions, expenses for travel, lodging, and meals are the
primary responsibility of the student and her parents. Most teams
will purchase a T-shirt, sweatshirt or jacket, also a student
expense.
Teams typically hold one or two weekly practices and additional
practices, including weekends, prior to events. Each team coach
will issue a calendar at the beginning of the season. This
is similar to an athletic team.
Parent support is expected and may include: mentoring in areas of
expertise, helping with competitions, providing healthy snacks,
and/or transportation. All parent volunteers must have
appropriate fingerprinting and driving forms, etc., on file with
the front office. Information about parent volunteer requirements
can be found at Parent Volunteer
Program.
