Another school year has begun, sports are in full swing, homework assignments come at you from every block and most students have suffered through their first pop quiz.

RV offers a robust array of extracurricular programs from sports teams, marching band, drama, poms, student clubs, and more. The list is long and days are getting shorter. So ­­how can RV students balance it all?

It seems like there has to be some kind of strategy to finding time for AP homework and after school sports practices that run until late in the evening.

RV has students who excel academically inside the building, athletically outside the building and after hours at their part-time jobs.

Pete Siegrist and Sarah Bevington emerged from the crowd­ ­as a couple of standout athletes who seem to have it all figured out.

Siegrist, a junior, handles it all very well.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was three,” Siegrist said. “I played under my dad and I’ve just stuck with. Practice in high school is five days a week, and club practices up in Westminster are three days a week for two hours each session.”

On top of being a serious soccer player, Siegrist also has a job at Cold Stone Creamery.

“I wanted some extra cash so I can have gas to go to soccer, and also just to have for fun social activities,” Siegrist said. “During the summer I worked about 30 hours a week. Then, during school, I work about twice a week.”

With such a busy schedule, finding time for homework can be difficult.

“I’m probably up until at least 11 p.m. with homework,” Siegrist said.

With such a busy schedule, does it ever feel like too much?

“It feels like a lot but it’s worth it in the end because I’m doing something I enjoy with soccer and then I also have money to do other things that I enjoy,” Siegrist said. “I know I need to keep my grades up for myself but also so I can be eligible to play with my team.”

Sarah Bevington, also a junior, is one of RV’s star athletes.

“I play four sports; soccer, basketball, track, and cross country,” Bevington said. “I have a high school team for each of those sports and then I play club soccer year round.”

With so many sports, it must be hard at times to find time for school work.

“I have to stay super organized and then I work a lot with time management, so if I’m on the way to practice, or on the way to a game, I’ll do homework in the car,” said Bevington, who obviously doesn’t suffer from motion sickness. “You just have to prioritize the hardest classes and the easier classes and then focus on that homework first, or if you need extra help come into ICE.”

Being a part of so many sports teams seems like it would become a huge part of your social life.

“A lot of the friends that I have are from my sport’s teams just because I spend so much time with them,” Bevington said. “It kind of is like hanging out with your friends.”

Incoming freshman may especially be struggling with this academic/athletic/social balance, but fear not.

“Definitely take advantage of the time you have with teachers,” Bevington said. “Get help so that you’re not completely lost.”

Having so much to juggle can be a lot at times, but finding the right balance is an essential skill that can help greatly in the future.