Turmoil has permeated through the Third Form, murmuring about a change that will profoundly impact time commitments. Haverford Newsletter was recently sent out to parents of Third Formers with an announcement of a controversial change: current and incoming Third Form students will now have to satisfy three sports or activity credits during their Third and Fourth Form years.
The official statement released by the school to students’ families on January 23rd states that the change comes from the premise that some students go home on school days and are unproductive with their time. Haverford approaches the change with the goal of “cultivating a deeply engaging, relational, and formative upper school experience.”
This change, however imposing it may seem, should not affect the majority of students, but should rather establish a baseline for activities.
“It doesn’t impact me. I think it is good because it forces uninvolved students to be involved,” Third Former Naren Lee said.
However, in a recent poll sent out exclusively to the Third Form, 47.1% of students said this change will impact them.
“I think this change doesn’t consider those who have two sports or activity credits in school, but have many extracurriculars outside of school,” Third Former Jesse Kanefsky said.
The administration wants students to spend their extracurricular time at school, which presents a conflict with student-athletes, especially now that they are mandating one credit to be exhausted in the fall.
Strength and Conditioning, commonly known as “Sko,” has been approved by the school to fulfill one required sports credit. This approval applies regardless of how long the course is taken; even when completed year-round, Strength and Conditioning counts as a single credit. The school has applied this change to account for the many students who work out in Strength and Conditioning, but who will now lack a sports credit below the baseline of three.
At least one of the credits has to be an interscholastic school sport.
Overall, this change of rules seems fair to most upper school students. Especially because it is “a refinement, rather than a departure, from our longstanding activity expectations,” as stated in the official document. However, some students and faculty think some amendments should be made.
“At least one requirement should be that students have to do a non-interscholastic-sport activity,” English teacher Dr. Micah Del Rosario said. “Something like being in the school play, or doing mock trial. Most students here at Haverford don’t need to be pushed to do a sport.”
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