It’s typical that around this time of year, ASFA students begin to grow a little restless. Everyone can feel the common sense of exhaustion around the student body. With a nearly nine-hour school day filled with core classes, rehearsals, and sometimes extra practice after normal school hours, it’s understandable that some students would feel a bit burned out.
Why is the school schedule so unique? According to Dr. Brad Hill, director of curriculum and instruction, the schedule is required to fulfill any time the specialty needs to complete its focus. ASFA also tries to align the schedule with other schools in the metro region. The first semester, often a few days shorter than the second, is typically used to generate new classes, get students back into that regular drive, and prepare for fall performances.
Dr. Hill also explains that public specialty schools, or schools that focus on subjects other than the core classes, must extend the day. In ASFA’s case, this requirement has to coincide with the Alabama State Department of Education. While this might extend the school year, ASFA is unable to combat that. However, the extra time is what allows FOCUS days, make-up days, and semester exams.
Dr. Hill also mentions that recent studies with ASFA alumni show that ASFA prepared them well for university, as they learned time management, work ethic, and organizational skills through ASFA’s challenges.
It’s no secret that ASFA prepares its students well for higher education, especially dorm students who’ve already learned what it takes to support themselves on top of academia. A question still remains, however, on what there is to be done about students’ stress. Taking the topic from another perspective, The Star spoke with students on the issue.
'Mentally and emotionally exhausted'
Mya Richardson, a Creative Writing junior and president of student groups ASFA NEXT and the AgriScience Union (AgU), discusses her own attempts to find a balance between school and a personal life after a long day at ASFA. “It’s long. I think I’ve been here so long I’m used to it, but I do have less of a life. When I get out of school, I mostly do homework. I think I have two hours of free time every day.”
Richardson talks about her personal experience working in the Creative Writing department. “Most people think that the non-performing arts have nothing much to do. I suppose the non-performing arts have more moments of free time, but when [creative writers] have a lack of free time, it is very much because of the department — especially as you get older.”
She continues, “When you’re a senior, you have to edit an entire literary magazine, [Cadence]. And those stories take a while; they don’t just appear on the Google Doc. Afterwards, my body is not physically drained, but I am mentally and emotionally exhausted.”
According to Richardson, stress is something ASFA has normalized. “[The workload] is a lot, compared to normal schools," she says. "I think at this point, I have four missing assignments in the same class.”
And dorm students in particular, like Richardson, face additional hardships. Richardson says it’s more difficult to regulate stress and exercise a life outside of ASFA while living on the third floor. Other obligations, including grocery shopping, housekeeping, and budgeting, take up much of dorm students’ time. Due to limited transportation, getting away from the ASFA campus also becomes more of a challenge.
Richardson was also asked about the expectations and whether or not the administration expected greatness from ASFA students. “Sometimes it feels like the school expects us to eat, breathe, live the life and blood of the department," Richardson says. "Up until recently, [the administration] forgot [ASFA students] have other interests. They’ve been allowing us to branch out into other interests, but it took them a long time to do that.”
When asked about what qualities were necessary to be a successful ASFA student, Richardson speaks about responsibility and passion. “[ASFA students] really, really have to be good at time management. If you can’t tell yourself when you need to do something, you’re not going to survive. And asking for help when you feel like you’re drowning.
“I think you actually have to have passion for what you’re doing to be here long-term. [ASFA students] would not be putting ourselves under this stress if we didn’t want to be doing this every day.”
'I don't like easy'
Theatre Arts sophomore Aubrey Segars recently starred in ASFA’s production of A Chorus Line. She says she has had recent experience feeling overworked and overwhelmed, to the detriment of her physical wellbeing — though she adds that she appreciates and is driven by the challenge.
“Last year, I had a stress fracture…where your body is overworked…and my foot fractured,” Segars says. “Being in A Chorus Line every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., I almost refractured myself. I had to wrap my feet in Tiger Balm, and bandage and ice them every night and every morning."
Segars says the long hours on campus are a necessity, but it still sometimes weighs on her.
"I mean, being in this building so long, I wanted to go crazy. I spent more time in rehearsal than going to actual school. Mentally, [I’m] just exhausted,” she said, “I think the length of [ASFA’s] school day is important because we’re doing specialty work. Obviously, I wouldn’t want us to go until 3 like any other school, because I think that’d be stupid, but I would agree that the time I spend at this school is ridiculous sometimes.
“Outside of the school, everything is about school. Very rarely, I go home and there’s nothing to do. I love theater, and theater requires long rehearsal hours, but the amount of rehearsal that I’ll do on top of homework or schoolwork — that gets crazy.”
When asked about how Segars challenges herself and what qualities the student body needs to possess to keep their heads above water, Segars says she is all about drive.
“[You need] determination. [Going to ASFA] takes some perseverance," Segars says. "I do stuff outside [of school] which adds to [the workload]. If I were just going to ASFA, it’s easy for me to think [handling the workload] would be so much easier, but I know that it’s not — to make good grades and literally be in the building for 12 hours.”
But with countless other schools to attend, going to ASFA is a deliberate decision for Segars. As she says, “ASFA’s not an easy school. …I don’t like easy.”
Still, sometimes getting every assignment done and every requirement met feels like an impossible task.
“But sometimes, [the workload is] ridiculous. Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day to get anything done. Not that the workload isn’t necessary, but it does get overwhelming," she says. "It wouldn’t be ASFA if [students] weren’t overworked — but at the same time, it’s incredible, the amount of work that [students] do. And sometimes, the little that we’re recognized for it. Sometimes you’ll have a bad day in core [classes], and in specialty [classes], you’re expected to let it all blow over. I don’t think the two sides reflect each other very well.
“We’re all held to a standard. You have to uphold the standard. If I’m not working 24/7, then I’m not upholding the standard. It’s just being the best you can be all of the time.”
Segars proceeded to mention a recurring quote from Theatre Arts Department chair Mr. John Manzelli: “If you’re not failing, you’re not succeeding.”
'Above everything else: communication'
These responses beg the question of whether or not the administration is aware of the stress among its students. Can anything be done about student morale? According to Mrs. Maria Marino, ASFA’s academic support coordinator, this has been a discussion in the past.
“It’s something that [the administration] talks about a pretty good bit," Marino says. "I do think students are struggling, and I think the adults are struggling, too. I know teachers are aware, and they are adjusting what they’re doing in their classes to help. But I think it works for some students. I think it doesn’t work for [other] students,” she said. “And [the stress has] always been like that, [at ASFA]. I don’t think the pandemic has helped that very much, and I don’t think technology is very helpful, either.”
When it came to the length of the school day, Marino said the school is quite aware of how much time everyone puts in at ASFA. The long days can certainly cause burnout, but she hopes there is time in everyone’s day to relax.
She comments, “It’s a very, very long day. It’s a lot; you’re taking in a lot of information.
"I think the majority of our students have either a STAR or a study hall. A lot of students still work, so I don’t know how much of a break it is… but just to have that time where you’re not necessarily having to focus as much [is helpful].”
She then recounted the school’s set of obligations, that a much of the time is required and scheduled the best way possible. “We talk about the schedule in most conversations. It’s just kind of the way things are. We do work to maximize the specialty time as much as we can.”
When going about helping students about this commonly shared problem, there doesn’t seem to be one way to do it. Since there are many different types of stress and it affects people differently, helping students tends to be case-by-case. Marino says on the topic, “People handle stress in different ways, so [the administration] can’t say they’re all acting a certain way. We deal with middle schoolers and teenagers, and a lot of times, students don’t know how they feel about something.”
She continued with a piece of advice for the student body. “I think the expectation is, when a student’s struggling, reach out. Above everything else: communication. Obviously, students talk to their friends, which helps, but it may not feel like things are getting easier. As long as [students are] talking to an adult, to a teacher, maybe a counselor. We don’t know [things are tough] if students don’t let us know.
“I know that a lot of students don’t feel comfortable talking to their teacher, and I would love to help them get over that.”
At the end, Marino encourages everyone to find time in the day to simply step away from the work. Students are advised to find something that makes them happy or relaxes them, and even just for a few minutes here and there take the time enjoy that activity, whether it's sitting under the sun in the courtyard or a more active hobby like journaling.
Marino also discourages a sense of competition, whether it be students amongst themselves or students against the administration. Instead, she insists that we talk with one another.
“Communication," she says. "That’s how we make things work. And we’re not always going to like what the person says, but everyone has a voice, and we need to be able to listen. We have to work together to find that balance.”
If you, or any other student you know, seem to be struggling with ASFA’s curriculum, please do not hesitate to talk with an adult. Upon application and acceptance into the school, each student is aware of what they’re getting into. However, this doesn’t mean students don’t deserve a break every now and then. ASFA expects greatness from the student body, but not at the expense of anyone’s health. If you’re feeling a little overworked, please do not hesitate to take a break.