Overburdened, Overloaded, Overworked: The increase in academic pressure for high school students

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 ~ Cora Williamson ~ Leave a comment

by Cora Williamson
Durham School of the Arts

Didn’t you hear? Exceptional is the new average. Students taking advanced placement classes are no longer ahead, and a 4.0 gpa is the norm. It takes more than rigorous academics to be considered a good student.

“You get the highest GPA, you do everything, all the clubs, you get all the grades, you talk to teachers, you get letters of recommendations for all you go to all the different clubs, you do all these extracurricular activities,” Said Jaydon Jones, rising Senior at Durham School of The Arts in Durham, North Carolina.

With a drop in college acceptance rates, and a rise in academically outstanding students, the pressure is on for teens to go above and beyond in every aspect of their school careers. There are a lot of public universities that have become increasingly selective, most of them favoring only the top 10% of each class.

In 2016 the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill had a 26.9% acceptance rate which has decreased to a concerning 17.7% as of 2022. In more prestigious schools such as Duke, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Vanderbuilt there were percentage changes as large as -59% between 2014 and 2024.

With such stress inducing statistics, students around the nation have increased their AP courses, some taking as many as eight a year.

“ I don’t want to take something I’m not interested in. But now I’m like, if I had done that, I would have had a higher GPA, even if I wasn’t interested. So it’s weird… There’s definitely pressure to take classes you don’t want to take,” Said Norah Lubeck, a rising junior at Riverside High School in Durham, NC.

Norah Lubeck is one of the many students that go the extra mile and still feels behind in the race. Going into her junior year she is taking eight AP classes and three community college classes. Piling on 11 college level classes just to get a slight leg up. Yet she still feels that because she chose electives of interest in freshman year like photography and psychology instead of AP electives, she’s fallen below her peers.

“ I do have good support, but I also would say it could be better, because, for example, right now, I’m in the house all alone. Pretty much. And I can’t get outside. I can’t go and do things,” Jones said

According to statistics from Mental Health America, more than 4 million high school students experienced a depressive episode in 2022, and over 2.7 million high school students are experiencing severe depressive disorders. Balancing a social life, impressive academics, outside achievements, and sports, while experiencing hormonal imbalance is a lethal combination, and yet, it’s the expectation.

“People say, ‘ Oh, you don’t need to take APs. Oh, you do. Or like, Oh, you should follow your interests.’ And then some people are like, ‘Oh, you need to have a specific track’. But if it’s not AP, it doesn’t matter.’ Lubeck said. “ People are just saying so many conflicting things that it confuses you on what you need to be doing. And I think that distracts from what you want to be doing, which I think is the most important thing.”

It’s a familiar peril among almost every student to feel deterred from their passions because they move all their energy into doing anything they can to make themselves stand out to colleges.

“Thinking forward, I want to go to college, and I have no idea if what I have right now is good enough to get me into a college I want to go into, especially compared to people who may be at the top of the class.” Lubeck said.

A large contributor to the weight burdening students is the ambiguity of what colleges are looking for. It’s often drilled into young minds that you need to be ahead in STEM courses, participating in at least one sport, earning some sort of leadership spot and volunteering, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. But depending on the college some may not accept certain AP credits, and being in too many extracurriculars can be seen as noncommittal.

“The pressure comes from all sides, and you have no idea if what you’re doing is enough. And you just gotta keep doing more even if it’s brainless work.” Lubeck said.

Shaping Joe Dennis

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 ~ Cora Williamson ~ Leave a comment

It’s no mystery why a New York street vendor felt compelled to match the wandering pedestrian that was Joe Dennis with a hat that had the same playful energy. A friendly face under a felt fedora brings to light Joe’s golden aura.

“I knew it was the last time I was going to see him, and he knew it, and his last words were, Be the peacemaker. And so that’s something I definitely want to spread.” Joe Dennis said, sharing the commemorative advice of his father that he’s used to guide him in all aspects of his personal life.

Joe Dennis has many roles in his life: teacher, father, coach, journalist, devoted church member, and hardcore Kesha fan. But each and every one of these stems from his love of interacting with and caring for other people. Which he admits is largely attributed to his father, Walter Dennis, and religious background. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, Joe had a “love thy neighbor” environment as he was raised in a very Catholic family. He attended Catholic school for all 12 years of his school career before going to North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, meaning he was no stranger to a Christian mindset. However, Joe’s father, who was on the path of becoming a priest before meeting Joe’s mother, made sure that the Christian values his sons would internalize would be to respect everyone and spread the love of Christ.

“This church that we go to was doing that, and I’m like, well, this is perfect, because it matches my Christian belief that at the core of Christianity is Jesus, being a Christ-centered person, and you should treat everyone with love and respect and not judge. And I found a church that does that, and so I’m all in.”

Religion has been a major factor in Joe’s life, and it still is to this day. Different points in his life morphed his relationship with faith, like many who spend their whole lives with religious influences. Joe shared that once he got to college, he was eager to take a break from the church and became separate from sermons and sanctuary, but once he met his wife, Carla Dennis, who is evangelical, he began going to church with her and reconnected with the Christian community. Once he and his wife married and moved to Georgia, they went through another period where church didn’t factor into their daily lives. But once the tragedy of 9/11 occurred and the entire nation entered a time where they needed faith, Joe and Carla found their way to another local church. Now they’re active members of a united methodist church that perfectly aligns with Joe’s accepting beliefs.

“Yeah, so it’s basically raising them in a way similar to how my dad raised me, where, you know, I tell them not to bully, to see the good in everyone you know, and just to be the light for someone, because you never know how you can change someone’s life at any given day just by a positive interaction.”

Joe has three sons and has made sure to model his parenting after his fathers. He finds it extremely important to pass on the moral code of giving, understanding, and viewing everyone as human that he was raised with. He makes sure that in every family quarrel there is mediation and peace, and he has stressed to them that no matter who you’re talking with, judgment has no place in the conversation.

“You know, it’s funny, because my oldest son just kind of told me, he’s 20 now, and he was like, ‘Man, Dad, you did something right. Because if I see $1 on the ground, I can’t pick it up without looking around and seeing who I should ask. Is there anyone who might have lost his or is asking some stranger, is it yours?’ Yeah, and that meant a lot to me.”

There are many factors to what makes Joe, Joe, but he evidently carries on Walter Dennis’s legacy and the word of God with respect and radiance.
“Really, I was raised as a Christian who truly embraces the love of Christ and tries to spread that in my interactions with people. And so I was raised to never judge people, to not talk bad about people, and so that has been a huge influence for me, as I’ve ventured out into journalism and interviewed people and talked to people, even people that I like vehemently disagree with, I’m able to recognize them as children of God, basically, as fellow humans, and see the good in everyone.”

Cora Williamson

June 17, 2024June 18, 2024 ~ Cora Williamson ~ Leave a comment

Leprechaun, Ed Sheeran, Coral, Coco, Cora Bora…I’ve heard it all. But despite my extremely Irish complexion and a name that’s impossible to create nicknames for, I think it’s best you know me as Cora. I am 16 years old and a rising junior at the Durham School of The Arts in Durham, North Carolina. Given the fact that it’s the “School of The Arts” I am required to have two artistic pathways, and the two that I have chosen to follow are journalism and creative writing! Ever since I was a kid I’ve had a great affinity for story telling; whether it be through imaginary play, acting or writing, I found a way to get the many stories swirling in my head out into the world. Now that I’ve matured and I have new methods of story-telling, I no longer find talking to myself as a “sane” outlet and my creativity has become much more technical, though just as strong. I first took interest in journalism the summer before my freshman year, which was heavily inspired by Rory Gilmore and her devoted journalistic spirit throughout the entire Gilmore Girls series. I’m on my schools paper and have recently found that I enjoy writing features on local businesses or pop-cultures role in mental health. I hope to pursue a career in journalism or at least a career that requires me to write. With luck I will be going to UNC Chapel Hill to guide me into that field.

On a more personal note, I have a large variety of hobbies and interests that have rounded me into who I am. From ages 2-12, I did all kinds of dance, but after the pandemic I found that I enjoyed Aerial Silks the most so I have continued with that. I don’t do performances but it is a fun and niche side hobby for my weekday afternoons. I’m super interested in the fashion and streetwear scene therefore I’ve become a chronic thrifter. Of course, a thrift outing isn’t complete without at least two lattes. My coffee addiction has become a trademark characteristic of mine, which is a direct result, yet again, of Gilmore Girls. Gilmore Girls is my favorite series and the witty pop-culture comments and jittery energy of Lorelei and Rory quickly became one of the largest influences in my life. I’ve modeled a lot of my personality after them, along with many other cultural influences like Jeff Buckley, The Dead Poets Society, Lala Land, Juno, Arctic Monkeys and Pinterest, just to name a few. Some of my other smaller interests are sewing, reading, crocheting, photography and collaging.

Durham is a wonderful city to grow up in, especially because I live within walking distance from downtown. I live with both of my parents and have one older brother named Jack, with the most ginger hair you’ve ever seen, and our Pitbull/Rottweiler dog, Pete. I am thankfully surrounded by a lot of good friends that I spend most of my time with. Who else would I go shopping with! My best friend Emerson unfortunately goes to boarding school in Virginia but when she comes home on break it’s like no time has passed. There is so much more I could tell you about myself and all the lovely people who have influenced my life but you’ll just have to talk to me to find that out!