Similar to lettering in a varsity sport, students of all grades who meet the minimum points requirement can apply for an Academic/Activities letter. Packets to apply for the letter, which also describe the point system, can be obtained from the April Signals Online Newsletter on Smoky Hill’s website or picked up from the Activities Office. The paperwork is due by Friday, May 1.

“Many people would qualify for this, but they don’t know it,” junior Kelly Rebollo said.

Rebollo used to be one of those people. She recently heard about the lettering opportunity from a friend and chose to fill the application out. She is involved in theatre, SpoCo, is a Drama Board Officer, and is an International Thespian member. She is also enrolled in AP classes and is in Honor Roll.

In order to be eligible for the letter, students must have at least ten points, with a minimum of four points in both the academics category and the activities category. Points can only be earned for areas in which the student is an active participant, as described on the packet. Areas for which points can be earned include AP and IB classes, outstanding GPA, academic awards, club membership, being part of a major performing group such as band, and so on.

“It’s cool that they have [this letter], because many kids don’t have the opportunity to letter in something other than sports because they focus on school,” Rebollo said. “It makes sense that there should be a letter for the other end of the spectrum.”

Although this opportunity exists, many students and faculty members are not aware of the academic and activities letter. According to Rebollo, some of her teachers whom she needed signatures from for points did not know how to fill the form out, and she does not think those teachers have previously seen the lettering form.

“Well, I’ve never heard of [the letter], and I consider myself an active student,” Rebollo said. “I listen to announcements, read naviance, and spend much of my time at school.”

Rebollo was eligible for the letter her sophomore year but was not able to earn a letter because she did not know it was an option. She believes that the letter is a great opportunity for students involved with the school in a way other than sports, and she wishes that the knowledge had been made available to her earlier on in her school career.

“Perhaps it should be common knowledge,” Rebollo said. “Teachers could mention it to their students during freshman seminar.”