For some students, school is challenging enough, but pile on three extracurriculars, and it gets even busier. Starting his high school career off with a bang, freshman Ethan Thomas was a diligent student. He participated in several sports and extracurriculars, including cross country, track and field and band.
“I have to be at school by 6:30 a.m. for band rehearsal, then I go through the school day, and after I have cross country which goes until 4:30 p.m., and sometimes we have band rehearsal from 6:30-9 p.m.,” Thomas said.
Thomas viewed his schedule as an opportunity to explore new interests and experience personal growth.
“I am exposed to different things and people, and I’m not bored,” Thomas said. “I am always doing something.”
His 8th-grade track coach enjoyed Thomas and his perspective on track that season.
“He performed very well and worked very hard throughout the season,” Brandon Cromwell, Yukon Middle School track coach said. “I really liked Ethan and his work ethic.”
While his schoolwork did not hold him back from excelling in sports, his extracurricular activities did not impact his performance in school either. Thomas sacrificed leisure activities to prioritize school.
“Instead of playing video games or being on my phone, I try to do my schoolwork to balance all the time I’m not in class,” Thomas said.
The activities Thomas participated in helped him play to his strengths and made him very versatile.
“I feel like I perform pretty good and to the best of my abilities,” Thomas said.