As the school year is winding down, the students and staff of Air Academy High School are getting ready to conclude this fantastic chapter of the 2022-2023 school year and embark onto the next and up and coming one. This year has been full of wonderful moments and memories that will not be forgotten by so many. This summer will definitely not be taken for granted because this is something everyone has been looking forward to for a long time now. However, the thoughts and nerves about transitioning to the next grade have been lingering in students’ brains now more than ever. The idea of being expected more from is a lot to take in, especially from a responsibility perspective.

“From my perspective, [my daughter] has become more aware about how fast the time is moving and I think the reality of it all is starting to sink in,” high school parent Shawnna Dremel commented.

Students with already busy schedules lined up are tasked with the difficult challenge of balancing and using their time wisely, without putting too much on their plate.

“I think that students, especially in high school, tend to overwhelm themselves and I don’t think they necessarily realize that until it’s too late,” Dremel added.

Sports are a great way to relieve stress and distract people from everything that’s going on in their lives; the same goes for students. Some people think that it would not be the best idea to fight stress with potentially more stress, but this is different. Their are so many reasons as to why sports are beneficial to students, even though they are a huge time commitment. 

One reason is that athletes, especially student athletes, find comfort in their sport because it gives them relief from whatever is bothering them outside of it, including school.

“Youth who were involved in school sports had lower depression symptoms, lower perceived stress, and better self-rated mental health than those who did not play sports at all,” an author from Newport Academy who wrote:“Teen Sports and Mental Health: 10 Mental Benefits of Sports” stated.

Participating in their respective sports gives students the opportunity to put their time and energy into something that doesn’t drain them the same way that school does. 

“It gives me something to focus on other than just school when school is difficult, and when I’m playing, I don’t think about the stresses of school at volleyball,” sophomore Paige Pivonka explained.

School and sports go hand in hand in a student athlete’s world. This also applies to the event of transitioning from grade to grade. With moving up in grades comes more responsibility to perform well in sports. 

“It’s more of: You should be a role model and should be helpful and help to teach [the younger players], and the expectations to perform better,” Pivonka continued.

Growing up and moving on to bigger and better things is an overwhelming and sometimes scary experience for people, but with the help of sports and the relief they bring, the process becomes a lot more bearable.