If you walk the halls outside of regular school hours, you may be surprised to see how many people are still here. Moms with giant monogrammed bags bolt through the door with a tiny dancer close behind. Students form groups in the gym to check over their robots and make sure they operate properly. Judges discuss in room 600 the results of a band competition.
Pleasant Grove is what some would consider a “host school”– meaning groups organize and host various events, ranging from fine arts to applied sciences like robotics. And oftentimes, the students in these extracurriculars are the ones running these events. Head theatre director Lisa Newton believes hosting these events are beneficial for student development and learning.
“It’s an opportunity for students to learn the skills that it takes to be a host and to run a show at an official event,” Mrs. Newton said. “Just the other day, I was teaching freshmen how to count change quickly without a calculator, and that’s something you wouldn’t necessarily learn in a classroom.”
Beyond honing new skills, running these events gives students a chance to be recognized by the community for their hard work and efficiency.
“Last year when we hosted Talent on Parade (a dance company) there was somebody from a university in Texas that was here to watch their child perform,” Mrs. Newton said. “They were so impressed with how well our students worked [the event] that they gave me their business card in case any students wanted to pursue theatre there.”
As with anything, hosting these events comes with mild drawbacks. However, junior Aubryn Franklin tackles these challenges with strategy.
“Sometimes space can be a problem, but the biggest challenge is keeping time and making sure everything happens when it should,” Aubryn said. “I just do what I’m supposed to do, and try to get where I need to be early.”
Robotics coach Mr. Mullins also puts an emphasis on efficiency and speed when the robotics program hosts events.
“We do a good job of running on time or ahead of time,” Mr. Mullins said. “We held four events this year, and at the end of one of our events, another coach told me that they could have stayed closer to home for a tournament that weekend. They chose to come to PG because they knew we would be done on time and everything would run smoothly, which was not a guarantee at the other option they had.”
In theatre, students receive International Thespian Society points for working events. However, not all extracurriculars have a system like this. Many band students work these events simply because they want to.
“We don’t get points toward anything like theatre does,” Aubryn said. “But working these events definitely gives us brownie points with the directors.”