Photo courtesy of Rowan Hamilton

Robotics team members participate in the FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore Oct. 6, 2023. This year, that competition, along with the AMIS Honor Jazz Festival, was canceled due to a five-week ban on absences caused by extracurricular travel.

The High School administration placed a ban on absences caused by extracurricular-based travel until Sept. 27. In order to prioritize academic participation and class presence, all trips that fall between the five-week no-travel period have been canceled.

Interim High School Principal Natalie Maisey said the ban aims to create a “window of time in which there is a consistent focus on classroom culture.”

“There’s this culture of busyness that I think ASL prides itself on a little too much,” Maisey said. “The main reason that we’re here is for students to have a quality education in the classroom, not prioritize their extracurriculars over their academics.”

Director of Athletics John Farmer, who is a member of the High School administration team, said the team aims to make the first five weeks of school “sacred” to students.

“It’s not a travel ban,” Farmer said. “It’s a period of no interruption for the first five weeks. Students can still fully participate in their sports, their clubs, without missing classes.”

Students must “prioritize class” in order to build a cohesive classroom community where learning can take place, Maisey said.

“The first five weeks of school are the most important and community building within your class,” Maisey said. “It might not feel that way as a student, but teachers take a lot of time to build that classroom culture. When students are missing all the time during these first five weeks, it can be really challenging to set that culture.”

Robotics Director Muktar Ali said the ban on excused absences for travel contrasts the school’s emphasis on extracurricular activities and engagement.

“It came as a bit of a shock, considering our school is a very active school,” Ali said. “There’s always a lot of stuff going on, whether it’s overseas trips or competitions.”

Performing Arts Department Head Carolyn Stock-Chapin said among the trips impacted by the ban is the annual Association for Music in International Schools Honor Jazz Festival, a rare opportunity and impactful experience for band students.

“We come back and the students are excited about the year ahead, and they become leaders in the High School jazz bands,” Stock said. “It really sets the tone for the year. For them to not have the opportunity to work with kids from all over the world would have a large impact on the music program.”

In addition, Ali said the High School robotics team will miss the FIRST Global Challenge, an annual international robotics competition, for which they were invited to represent the U.K.

“It’s one of the highlight trips they have been on during their time at ASL,” Ali said. “Very rarely do they get the opportunity to meet young people their age, from essentially every single country in the world, doing something that you all love.”

Robotics team President Siena Chae (’25) said the FIRST Global Challenge last year provided the team with a shared experience, contributing to team bonding.

“It was such a great opportunity, from the amount of people we were able to meet, to the fact we were in Singapore, to the fact we were able to be a part of one large community,” Chae said. “I feel sad that the sophomores and juniors won’t be able to have that experience.”

Chae said last year’s trip fostered a rare connection between her and her teammates due to the collaboration and hard work required.

“The trip brought me so much closer to the people on the robotics team, which is quite large,” Chae said. “Without FIRST, I wouldn’t have been able to know my team on such a deep level or make some of my closest friends. The travel is so fun but also takes a certain dedication.”

Although athletics teams usually participate in international competitions, Farmer said sports will not be impacted this year.

“Last year, the only trip we took during this time was we sent teams to Zurich,” Farmer said. “This year, those teams were going to come to us.”

Maisey said although she understands the disappointment many students experience due to the cancellations, fulfilling the ban with no exceptions is essential to keeping the school aligned with its values and policies.

“As a school, we have to think about what structures we’re putting in place,” Maisey said. “Every time we make an exception, then we’re just opening the door. We have to have some policies and procedures that make it clear what we value, and I know that’s tough.”

Regarding the impact of student groups missing important international events, Maisey said it is not unusual for schools to miss events, as scheduling conflicts are not uncommon.

“There are always the complexities of a school’s calendar and all of the other organizations that are setting things up,” Maisey said. “We have to make choices for our school. That does mean sometimes we just can’t participate in certain things. For example, if we were on spring break or if we have parent-teacher conferences, we just can’t send students away.”

Farmer said the administration plans on critically evaluating the impact of the new ban when planning for future years.

“As a member of the High School admin team, I want us as a group to think about the pros and cons of doing what we tried this year,” Farmer said. “You don’t grow and learn unless you do it. We will hold our group accountable to do a proper reflection on it and establish if this is something that we just have in perpetuity or change.”