BALANCING
ACT
For today’s students, the day-to-day activities of school and extracurricular
activities are all-consuming. To reach a balance and find success, a
commitment to organization and time management is necessary.
F
reshman Alexis Jones is just one of many
students who is sacrificing free time to broaden
her horizons. In addition to consistently attaining
distinguished honor roll, she holds the role of a class
officer, National Honor Society member, and is a track
team competitor. In the evening and weekend hours,
she can be found on the ice.
Lexi, as she is known by her friends, is a member of
the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U-14 all-female hockey
team. From the age of 6, she has played hockey and
was later recruited by former Olympic goalie Brianne
McLaughlin for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite hockey
team as a U10 player.
Last year, Lexi and her team competed and advanced
to the national tournament in Boston, suffering a defeat
in the quarter finals round. This year, the Pens advanced
to the national finals in Irvine, CA, competing in three
round robin games.
Defeating teams from Connecticut, California, Illinois,
and Minnesota, the team faced the Detroit Little Caesars
in the championship round. Trailing by a 3-1 deficit,
the girls displayed grit with a comeback and tied the
game at 68 seconds before the buzzer, sending the
game into overtime. The sudden death round ended in
three minutes when the Pens scored the winning goal,
capturing the national championship.
At the junior-senior high school, where academic demands are higher, many students effectively manage time
between school work, extracurricular activities, and leisure. Some even thrive. And while these students may
have less free time on their hands, they learn valuable life skills and self-discipline while developing
self-esteem and gaining a connection outside the classroom.
32
CARLYNTON
Wearing number 57, defensive player Alexis Jones
maintains control on and off the ice.
At the beginning of the hockey season, Lexi said
her coaches stressed the need to work together. “We
had trouble coming together as a team, but we put
our differences aside and we played for each other,
not ourselves,” she said. Lexi described the win as
“unbelievable.” The dedication, teamwork, and lessons
learned from mistakes, made a dream come true.