By the time the final bell rings, a serious high school athlete may already be thinking about an upcoming test, a paper that’s due on Friday, or practice that afternoon. With weekend tournaments and college athletics on the horizon, keeping up with everything can become a challenge of its own.
At The Whitfield School, the school day is designed to give students more opportunities to pursue ambitious goals in the classroom and in competition. The Creve Coeur school serves about 400 students in grades six through 12, with average classes of 10 to 12 students. Its smaller size provides students with the chance to build strong relationships with teachers while staying involved across school life.
Athletics carry plenty of ambition, too. Whitfield teams and athletes have earned 36 state championships, 89 district championships, and 206 individual state medals. Since 2023, 42 athletes have continued their athletic careers in college.
Success at that level requires time, support, and discipline, all of which are woven into the student experience at Whitfield.
Making time for the student and the athlete
A demanding athletic schedule does not leave much room for wasted time.
Whitfield’s Academic Lab, known as Ac Lab, carves out dedicated time during the school day for students to tackle assignments or meet directly with teachers. Scholar-athletes also participate in supervised study tables where they can keep up with coursework, organize their calendars, and strengthen the time-management skills needed when practices and competitions fill their afternoons.
Students don’t have to give up the rest of school life to make athletics fit. Whitfield’s Community Time is a dedicated block during the school day when clubs, affinity groups, and other activities meet. Students can participate in several groups throughout the year, giving athletes opportunities to explore other interests and take on leadership roles without regularly missing practice.
Mia Devrouax knows how valuable those hours can become. The 2024 Whitfield graduate balanced academics with school organizations and club soccer before continuing her career at Mizzou. Travel sometimes meant missing class, making communication with her teachers especially important.
“My teachers knew how serious I was about soccer, especially with how much I was traveling,” Devrouax says. “I could talk to them about what I was missing and figure out how to get everything done.”
Those conversations also taught her to take more responsibility for her own success.
“Whitfield taught me how to work hard and push myself every day,” she says. “I became more confident in the classroom and on the soccer field, and I learned how to keep going when things got hard.”
What it takes to compete at a high level
Athletic success at Whitfield comes with resources made to help students train, compete, and take care of themselves along the way.
Students have access to a fully equipped weight room, two gymnasiums, and outdoor fields, along with strength and conditioning support throughout the season, offseason, and summer. A Mercy Sports Medicine certified athletic trainer helps athletes manage injuries, rehabilitation, and a safe return to competition.
Whitfield also brings nutrition into athletic preparation. SAGE Dining Services offers menus reviewed by registered dietitians and nutrition information designed to help students understand how what they eat can support an active lifestyle.
Athletic director Mike Roth says those resources help students prepare for competition, while coaches help them learn how to handle the wins, losses, and responsibilities that come with it. “Extracurriculars are extensions of the classroom,” Roth says. “Our coaches and staff want to prepare students for life.”
Learning how to respond when competition does not go as planned is part of it. “You’re going to have great victories, and you’re going to have tough defeats,” Roth says. “You learn how to come back the next day, work hard, be a great teammate, and keep going.”
Even with a strong athletic tradition, Roth says academics remain the priority. “You might have a tough academic day and still have to go to practice and work hard,” he says. “You learn to be a great teammate and strive for success on the field while still taking care of what you need to do in the classroom.”
What happens when high school ends?
College can provide one of the clearest tests of high school preparation. When Devrouax began playing soccer at Mizzou, the demanding schedule and high expectations were already familiar.
“The level of competition, the expectations, and the fast pace of things happening at Mizzou were things I had already experienced at Whitfield,” she says.
Devrouax is now putting what she learned at Whitfield to use as a college student and Division I athlete.
“You’re not perfect. There are going to be days where you’re struggling, and that is OK,” she says. “You just have to stay motivated and keep going.”
Her path from Whitfield to Mizzou shows how preparation in high school can carry into the next level. Students are competing for wins now, while also learning how to manage demanding schedules, communicate with others, and keep working when things get difficult.
One day, the final whistle will blow, but students can carry what they learned at Whitfield into every challenge that awaits.
This post was created by SLM Partner Studio on behalf of The Whitfield School. For more information about The Whitfield School and its scholar-athlete experience, visit whitfieldschool.org.
