Being an honors student in high school is already a pretty stressful activity, but adding clubs, sports, and other activities adds to the pressure of an already difficult schedule. Being a student on the Debate Team entails a lot of responsibility, as there is research that goes into the cases they argue, and is a time consuming activity. The students at Rock Island High School are very active in the community, two who are especially immersed in the activities are Millie Gidaszewski and Olivia Seidlitz.
JV Speech Team member, Millie Gidaszewski is also on the volleyball team, in the National Honors Society, in Marching Band, Concert Band, the Debate Team, and a few other clubs, all this on top of being an honors student. Gidaszewski says Debate usually requires a lot of research and time, she has to be very organized to balance everything in her life. For debate, they have mock rounds and practice every day of the week, usually from right after school to around 5.
Not only does Speech take up a lot of time during the school week, but also the weekends. Gidaszewski said that their competitions involve them waking up very early, and traveling pretty far, as most competitions are near Chicago (about a 3 hour drive). This would be pretty stressful when they still have a lot to get done that week.
Gidaszewski says that debate can have a tough effect on her social life, stating, ¨It can sometimes make it really stressful because I need to balance school work on top of that. However, being in extracurriculars has allowed me to become more social.¨ Gidaszewski says Debate can affect her academic and social life, but she has gotten pretty good at balancing it all, which is good, as Gidaszewski plans on going to law school. Though Gidaszewski is juggling a lot at school, Debate, sports and other clubs, she still makes time to work through her school work and have a well rounded social life. This is such an important life skill that the Debate students are learning early on.
Gidaszewski said that the community in Debate is pretty close, as they spend so much time together. She also said that she is not the only one doing extracurriculars, besides Debate. Another student, Olivia Seidlitz also balances Debate and more activities.
Olivia Seidlitz is in the Student Council, National Honors Society, Gray Matters, and EAC (Environmental Action Club), all along with Debate and all honors or AP classes. She very obviously has a very full schedule. Seidlitz said that lately she has gotten better at managing her time, stating, “It was hard, at first, but it has gotten easier with time.”
While Debate has taken a lot of her time, Seidleitz has seen the benefits of the group in her academics. Though Seidlitz is thankful for Debate, and how it has improved writing in her essays, she says they have become easier to organize since being in Debate.
Seidlitz says she is far from the only person doing extracurriculars besides Debate, she said many of her teammates also balance sports, and other clubs, as well. When speaking about managing her academic and social life on top of all her extracurriculars she said, “At first, it was hard to balance both Debate, social, and academic life, but it had definitely gotten easier with time. It has also helped me manage time a lot better and improve my writing skills.” Seidlitz clearly spends a lot of time with Debate, as it is such an active club, though she still makes time for friends, and all honors classes. Balancing a full schedule is a really impressive skill that will one hundred percent come in handy later in her lifetime. Clearly, Debate has made an impact on her academic and social life, and to her it seems that it is really worth it.
Both Gidaszewski and Seidlitz have taken on full schedules and are thriving under all of the pressure. Balance in schedule and in life is a really important thing, and it is something that everyone should know. Full schedule or not, it is an important skill to have and these two girls are so lucky to have learned it early on in their lives. Furthermore, Debate has clearly helped the Rocky team in more ways than just at their competitions. It has helped them grow closer to their peers, succeed more in their writing, and manage their time successfully. It is clearly preparing them for life outside of high school, and they are taking all the right steps to succeed later in life. 
