February 16, 2018
City High offers many options for extracurriculars. Whether it be in sports, or in activities such as debate and mock trial, most students participate in some sort of extra curricular at City High. Many of the aforementioned students are able to easily commute home after extracurriculars or to an extracurricular in the morning. However, this is not the case for everyone. For others, it can be difficult to get to or from whichever activity they are attending.
As of now there is no official method for these students to get home from extracurricular activities, but of those who live too far away from school have found their own unique ways to get home.
John Bacon, the principal of City High, believes that although there are issues with transportation from clubs and sports, most students are able to find a way to get home.
“As of now it is a student’s responsibility to find a way to get home. There have been countless examples of kids over years who have come up with creative solutions to that problem,” said Mr. Bacon.
Kaleba Jack ‘20 lives relatively far away from City High but he doesn’t have an issue getting to and from basketball.
“My teammate and I live near each other, so he can always give me a ride” Jack said.
Evan McElroy ‘21 is an active participant in extracurriculars. He participated in Cross Country, and is planning on doing track.
“I live far enough away from City High that transportation to practices in the morning can often be difficult. For most of the year I am able to ride my bike to these morning practices however during the winter It becomes too cold and dark to bike,” said Mcelroy. “It is too early for my parents to be able to give me a ride to the school, so for winter running I am unable to run with the team. Winter running is a key part of our track team’s pre-season and missing it will hurt the start of my track season.”
Like Mcelroy, Aidan Spurgetis ‘21 is involved with City High’s running program.
“I have had a difficult time getting to practices for cross country on the weekends because I live in Cedar Rapids during that time. The biggest issue that is keeping me from getting to practice is the time it takes to go from my home to practice. 40 minutes to practice and back in the morning is often not doable for me. Especially since I am not able to drive myself and I can’t always rely on my parents to drive me,” Spurgetis said. “This frustrates me, as sometimes I feel like I am missing out on what a practice offers. With some of our most crucial practices being on Saturdays missing it is pretty disappointing to me.”
Despite barriers of transportation, City High is trying to make sure all students can participate in the activities they want to. Mr. Bacon stressed how important communication between students and their extracurricular advisor is if they need a way to get home.
“I strongly believe that if there is a transportation barrier, that that kid should come forward and talk to either the coaches or me. If anyone reading this article has issues with transportation it is important that they come forward,” Mr. Bacon said.
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