The dismissal bell had long sounded, but students had a castle to defend.
They gathered in three classrooms at Hanover Area Jr/Sr High School. They set up elaborate gameboards and grabbed soda and snacks.
As the students delve into five hours of role-playing in the game Dungeons and Dragons, they find competition, community — and a reason to be in class.
“The more ownership they have in the school, and the more community connections they have, the more likely they are to come to school,” said Alexis Rupert, assistant principal.
The Luzerne County school district wants to reduce absenteeism, and has increased the number of clubs and activities, with the hope of increasing engagement.
In most schools, including Hanover Area, daily attendance rates are lower and truancy rates higher compared to the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
After several years of virtual learning, Hanover sophomore Kamari Wilson returned to in-person learning his freshman year.
“It wasn't very fun, and I still didn't really come to school a lot and it reflected on my grades,” he said. “I believe I had around 40 missing days.”
He knew something had to change.
“I got more involved with activities in school and after school, so I wanted to come to make sure I could still participate in them,” said Kamari, who is now using his experience to mentor other students. “My attendance affects my grades.”
Missing school
Nationwide, chronic absenteeism — the percentage of students missing at least 10% of a school year — grew from 15% in 2018 to 28% in 2022, according to a study from the American Enterprise Institute. In Pennsylvania, 23% of students missed at least three weeks of school in 2022-23, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Chronic absence, or missing 10% or more of school days due to absence for any reason, can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third grade, achieving in middle school and graduating from high school, according to Attendance Works, a national nonprofit.
State law requires children to attend school. A child is deemed "truant" if he or she has incurred three or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year. If absences continue and intervention and support for families doesn’t work, school districts can seek court intervention.
In Luzerne County, the number of truancy cases referred to court increased from 486 in 2018-19 — the last school year before the pandemic — to 926 in 2022-23. As of April 30, the magisterial district court system in the county has dealt with 718 cases this school year.
In neighboring Lackawanna County, the number of cases also continues to be significantly higher post-pandemic. During the 2018-19 school year, the county held 173 hearings. Last year, the court system conducted 380 hearings. After hearings this month, the total will likely be about 350 for the 2024-25 school year, according to the county.
Cases can result in fines or jail time for parents, but most often result in a plan for families to get children to school. Hanover Area Jr/Sr High School has referred 100 cases to the court system this year.
Increasing participation
When full-time in-person learning first resumed after the pandemic, daily attendance at the school in Hanover Twp. was in the 70th-percentile. This year, attendance is at 87%. The district wants that number to grow higher.
“Our goal always is to try to encourage more teachers to create more clubs, to find the little niche to have that draw for the kids to come to school,” Principal John Sipper said. “We're always looking to improve. If we're not moving forward, we’re moving backwards.”
Staff started an arts and crafts club. A chess club became so popular that it reached capacity. A trebuchet team launched baseballs with a mechanism similar to a catapult. The marching band slowly started to play again.
In the school of 950 students, 130 came out for the track and field teams. About 50 girls signed up for volleyball. The rendition of “The Addams Family” this month was the first musical staged by the school since before the pandemic. The administration worked to find funding, and groups held fundraisers.
“I was so proud of this high school staff to create something like this,” said Superintendent Nathan Barrett, who last week announced he planned to leave public education for a lobbying job at the end of 2025. “This type of participation in school activities did have a major hiccup with the hiatus that we had to take due to the pandemic. But after that, the amount of participation in school activities that students are signing up for is at the highest of my career.”
Guarding the castle
Eighth grader Ayden Mazur sat with his friends, playing Dungeons and Dragons, often called D&D. There were no cell phones — and no drama — as the group sat vested in the fantasy tabletop role-playing game.
“It's really interesting. If you're in the club, you would experience tons of stuff,” Ayden said. “Personally, I have autism, and it really helps with my social skills … It's really great for me.”
A student approached teacher Brian Rinkevich, known as “Mr. Rink,” four years ago about starting a club. It quickly grew. Students can meet several times a week during the school day, and then once a month on Wednesdays until 7 p.m. During the month of May, students meet each Wednesday after school.
“You know, I could probably go till midnight with this crew. They're fantastic kids,” said Rinkevich, who teaches English. “I'm just hoping I make the world a better place. And, you know, it's worth it… This is not hard work. You see all these guys, how could you hate being around these guys?”
The club, now with more than 40 members, started with minimal game pieces and scenery, but now uses a 3D printer to create characters and buildings. Artistic students help with design and painting. Students help fundraise to buy more supplies.
Junior Kiori Lewis often helps younger students. He says the club is one of the reasons he comes to school.
“Typically, this is what I come here to do, and I personally love it,” he said. “It’s really nice.”
Siblings Destiny Valenzuela, a seventh grader, and Daniel Valenzuela, a ninth grader, love staying after school.
“When I joined, I started talking to new people, started to talk to new people more, and it was the best thing for me at the time,” Daniel said.
Nearly four hours after school dismissal, laughter, conversations about strategy and voices imitating goblins and knights filled the classrooms.
It’s a community Rinkevich never expected to help create in school, but one students say has had a major impact in their lives.
“Sometimes I feel really overworked in school,” seventh grader Jayden Thompson said. “So I feel D&D is a really good outlet for me to get out all the extra stress.”
