Extracurricular Activities
Student Well-Being & Movement
School's Paper Clip Project Attracts Worldwide Attention
The story of two German journalists, one Internet-surfing Holocaust survivor, and the millions of paper clips middle school students in one Tennessee town have received from all over the world.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Appellate Court Rejects Extracurricular Drug Testing
A federal appeals court last week struck down an Oklahoma school district's policy of drug tests for students engaging in extracurricular activities such as cheerleading, band, choir, and the Future Farmers of America.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Handle With Care
Like many American schools, Lenoir City High in Knoxville, Tennessee, has security cameras and a counseling department to prevent fights among its 1,000 students from escalating into Columbine-like incidents. But perhaps its best weapon against violence is Dave Moore, a veteran football coach and physical education teacher, and his "Care Club."
School & District Management
Extra Benefits Tied to Extracurriculars
Students who take part in extracurricular activities generally do better in high school, and even beyond, than those who don't, according to an ongoing long-term study.
Students who take part in extracurricular activities generally do better in high school, and even beyond, than those who don't, according to an ongoing long-term study.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Take Note
Wrong Address
When Jane Brammer's yearbook staff settled on a fictitious Web site name for the cover of Lake Region High School's yearbook, she worried that it would be too plain.
When Jane Brammer's yearbook staff settled on a fictitious Web site name for the cover of Lake Region High School's yearbook, she worried that it would be too plain.
Student Well-Being & Movement
School Cheerleading Evolving Into Competitive Activity
While competitive cheerleading's popularity has been climbing, interest in traditional cheerleading has waned. Some argue that changes in the sport have led to elimination of the traditional activity at some schools and to complaints that this new breed has forgotten its fundamental purpose: rousing the crowd.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Students' 'Diaries' Chart After-School Activities
An estimated 3.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 12 are spending an average of an hour a day home alone after school, a new study shows. But that really isn't that much, considering the "hectic, highly scheduled quality of contemporary family life," according to the researcher who conducted it.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Research: After the Bell Rings
After-school programs are booming, but research on them is just beginning.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Odyssey of the Mind Separates Into Two Organizations
A legal settlement over Odyssey of the Mind, one of the nation's most popular academic competitions, has split the creative problem-solving contest into two separate and competing organizations.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
Contending With Distraction
As I walk away grinning from the best, and the liveliest, junior English class I have had in years, it occurs to me that a good class is a lot like a happy family. There's lots of laughter, and sometimes everyone is talking at once, but behind the eyes you see lots of flashbulbs going off. There's also a clear sense that, even if everyone doesn't actually like everyone else, everyone is accepted and everyone's views are heard. Futhermore, my students are reading difficult material--we just finished As I Lay Dying--with perceptivity and enthusiasm, and their writing continues to soar both in content and form.
Student Well-Being & Movement
In Devising After-School Programs, Commitment Is Key
Boston
Samantha Sadd couldn't be happier that after-school activities have become a rallying cry among politicians. The former VISTA volunteer runs a highly regarded tutoring program here out of a trailer on a $50,000 annual budget.
Samantha Sadd couldn't be happier that after-school activities have become a rallying cry among politicians. The former VISTA volunteer runs a highly regarded tutoring program here out of a trailer on a $50,000 annual budget.
Families & the Community
Band Aid
It was all so overwhelming at first. Chris Davis' initiation into the world of the marching band at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, a two high school campus in a suburb of Detroit, seemed unreal.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Drug-Test Policy Spurs Student To Sue Board
A Tulia, Texas, high school senior and National Honor Society president was so opposed to his district's random-drug-testing policy that he has sued the school board, father and all.
Curriculum
Youth Groups To Underscore Inauguration Theme
Four months ago, the 67 students who sing in the chorus at a rural elementary school in Washington state had no idea they would be crossing the continent this month for President Clinton's inauguration.