Juggling a busy schedule can become very difficult for students, but senior Berkleigh Blackport has found balance.
Berkleigh keeps busy with sports, work, and school, but with careful time management, she is able to maintain a stable schedule. In the winter, Berkleigh has a passion for skiing and is a part of the school’s ski team.
“[Ski season] starts at the end of October or early November,” Berkleigh said. “We condition two days a week and do that until the start of winter break. Then sometimes when we come back from winter break, there’s enough snow that Cannonsburg lets us begin practicing. If not, we keep conditioning. Once meets start, we have two practices a week and one meet a week. The season lasts until Febuary-ish.”
Along with that, she is also an avid equestrian. Being very dedicated to this sport, she practices riding her horse, Rosie, year-round, typically six to seven days a week. Being an equestrian and being very knowledgeable about the sport has landed her a part-time job at The Classic Equestrian in Ada.
“I ride six days a week and spend three hours a day [there],” Berkleigh said. “My horse’s name is Rosie. I have another one named Ollie, he’s my miniature pony and he’s really adorable, but he’s kind of naughty and likes to bite and kick people, but it’s kind of cute. I’m trying to bring him to college with me.”
Berkleigh trains for competitions that are typically during the summer, but she also has a few in the winter, spring, and fall as well. Finding multiple whole weeks to leave for a show is much easier to do throughout the summer because she doesn’t have to try to fit them into her ski schedule or school schedule.
Although her training is very demanding with how often and for how long she has to do it, Berkleigh gets her riding in nearly every day to improve her riding and strengthen her bond with Rosie.
I have to get up at 5 a.m. each day to ride my horse before the show starts because she likes to freak out sometimes. Sometimes, I show in the winter; it mostly depends on [whether] my horse is injured or not and what my ski and school schedules are like.
— Berkleigh Blackport
“I compete mostly during the summer and [the shows] are usually a week-long,” Berkleigh said. “I have to get up at 5 a.m. each day to ride my horse before the show starts because she likes to freak out sometimes. Sometimes, I show in the winter; it mostly depends on [whether] my horse is injured or not and what my ski and school schedules are like.”
In school, Berkleigh is a motivated student and sets high goals and standards for herself. She has placed herself in several AP classes and is thriving.
Berkleigh aspires to attend a top college, so having a stellar high school transcript is very important to her. In years past, she has put herself in several honors and AP classes in order to achieve her future goals.
“I take five AP classes currently,” Berkleigh said. “I take AP Environmental Science, AP Lit, AP French, online AP Human Geography, I go to [Forest Hills] Eastern to take AP Biology and pre-calc. AP Bio conflicts with AP French here, so I was offered the opportunity to go to Eastern to take the class so that I could still do it.”
Because of her high academic achievements and future plans, Berkleigh is a member of the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society. Berkleigh has an admiration and love for French, so she took it into her own hands to bring a French Honor Society to FHC.
Currently in AP French, Berkleigh has been taking the French classes that the school provides since middle school and plans to continue studying French in college. Last school year as a junior, she began the foundations for creating a French Honor Society for the school.
“I found out about [the French Honor Society] at my old school,” Berkleigh said. “In freshman year, I went to George Washington University’s online high school. It’s a National Honor Society for French students, and when I came back [to FHC], I realized that we didn’t have one. I decided that I wanted to create one here, so I emailed the president of the society. I filled out and submitted a lot of forms and created forms and letters to send out to people. [Members] are required to meet once a month and do volunteer work that somehow has to be French-related; we’re still trying to figure that out.”
With ski, work, school, and horseback riding, Berkleigh had to figure out a way to maintain a manageable schedule, which she has figured out.
In order to maintain her schedule and get a healthy level of sleep, she prioritizes her events and homework. When she knows that she has a big assignment or test coming up, she does her best to work ahead so that she does not have as much to do on the nights that she is busy.
“It’s mostly just that I have to be able to create a list and know when everything is due or when practices, work, or volunteering is on my schedule,” Berkleigh said. “I have a heavily updated and detailed calendar and planner. My academics always come before my other commitments, however, I never flake on anyone or jeopardize my school work. I never fail to make my schedule work. Sometimes it is just a little bit hectic with little time for relaxation. I also ensure to maintain a balance between all of this by hanging out with my friends on the weekends.”
