Keeping academics and extracurriculars balanced is something that many students have to learn to do. One of these students, Norah Earley, is a sophomore at MT. Involved in band, marching band and most recently “Singin’ in the Rain,” she has multiple roles and responsibilities every day.
For Earley, balancing all of her extracurricular activities tends to make her more tired than overwhelmed, and even though there’s a lot to do day-to-day, she has a plan for keeping herself on track and maintaining her energy.
“I make sure to set boundaries with my schoolwork and outside life. I make sure that I sleep for at least a decent amount of time because I know I won’t be able to function if I don’t,” she said.
With lots of physical and mental exertion needed for performing in a musical, sleep can be one of the most important things Earley does to take care of herself.
Maintaining one’s health, both mental and physical, in doing extracurriculars outside of school allows for all of the fun things that happen during those activities. Earley has lots of great memories from her years in MTMB and MTPA.
“I loved watching Mrs. Haldeman dance in the rain the first time we all saw it,” she said.
Haldeman was the director of this spring’s musical, “Singin’ in the Rain.” Earley, part of the Red Carpet Ensemble in the musical, enjoyed her time performing. She wanted to do this musical because it provided her a space for things she was not doing otherwise.
“I love music, and since I don’t sing in choir, I wanted to be able to sing and make music in a group,” she said.
Extracurricular activities can be exciting not just for those performing in them, but also for their loved ones. Brian Earley, Earley’s dad, shared that he loves to see her performing in everything that she does.
“[My favorite part of seeing her perform is] any of it. Of course I’m extraordinarily biased, so I love anything that she does,” he said.
Being a parent of someone who has so many responsibilities can mean that you have to watch out for your kid getting too overwhelmed with it all. For Mr. Earley, he finds that Earley is able to keep herself very balanced throughout everything.
“She works extremely hard and she’s very skilled with balancing her time. She knows what she wants to do, she stays organized, and she does it. The key is that she follows through with her plan, and that keeps her from being overwhelmed,” he said.
Earley finds that her extracurricular activities are a huge part of who she is and her daily life.
“I find my friends, hobbies, and family in them. I truly found my community in my extracurricular activities,” she said.
Earley has lots of great things ahead, including the upcoming season of MTMB, symphonic band throughout the year and many MTPA performances throughout her coming years in high school. So, if you’re at a football game, MTHS concert or in the audience at a musical, watch out for an amazing performer named Norah Earley.
