Seminar parties are a break given to students once a semester.

“Seminar parties had to have started before me,” principal Martin Straub said.

Straub worked at two other high schools and student taught in a third and found it hard to believe that high schoolers were having parties.

“I couldn’t believe we had food parties because none of my other schools did,” Straub said.

Instructors, such as Jayme Goetz and Lisa Renz, participate in the activity that has survived many years.

“I think students deserve one day in the semester where they can relax, hang out, and bond together over food,” Goetz said.

Renz shares the same belief as Goetz.

“Students deserve some appreciation for all the hard work they do,” Renz said. “I think it builds comradery.”

While there are many seminars that do participate in the activity, there are those that cannot have seminar parties or may even only be able to have them if student’s grades are above a certain GPA.

Teacher Chris Dinkel is one who finds that if the class has a collective GPA of 3.0 or higher, they can have a party.

“I feel like the students should earn it,” Dinkel said. “In my opinion, school is an academic environment and unless students earn a decent grade, why would you need to have a party?”

Instructor Lora Gallegos-Haynes runs her seminar in a similar way.

“If the class average is a C, I allow them to have one party,” Gallegos – Haynes said. “It’s usually around a holiday or special activity.”

Jerold Harris and Nathan Howard do things differently, but in the end both do not have parties.

“The end of the year’s so busy with finals,” Harris said. “I’ve always told my seminar that they have to have A’s or B’s, and there’s always someone with D’s.”

Howard believes that seminar is a time for academics.

“It should be an academic time to study,” Howard said. “It keeps students focused on their work.”

Though there are teachers that are for the parties and those who are against them, one teacher in particular stands in the middle.

“We have opportunities for sharing,” teacher Cheryl Shepard-Adams said. “Academically, parties can’t be justified, but opportunities to share our culinary backgrounds, are a valuable experience.”

19ibraun@usd489.com