There are many good reasons why students are advised to involve themselves in sports and other extra-curricular activities during their high school days. One reason is college sponsorship. Many college schools offer scholarships for those students who excel in not only in sports but also in arts, music, and drama. Acquiring a college scholarship will prove advantageous to students whose parents would not be able to afford to send their son or daughter to college.
Among the many things that high school students can learn from engaging into sports and other extra-curricular activities are: physical and psychological conditioning, sportsmanship, reliance on one another, and the sharing factor—that is, co-operation or teamwork. What easier way to teach these good qualities better than through these activities? Joining extra-curricular activities will prove to be a great help in enhancing their personality and social responsibility.
Participating in them will provide them with opportunities for personal growth, development of new interests and skills, better communication with school staff and teachers, not to mention the fun they will encounter. Students are given opportunities to show their special talents, socialize, or pursue particular interests. Engaging in sports and other extra-curricular activities also develops one’s leadership qualities as well as respect for others and one’s self.
It will also enhance their quality of life once they are in college. Sports and extra-curricular activities have long been appreciated for contributing in many ways to the improved school experience as well as to the increased social skills of students. Besides promoting school spirit, extra-curricular activities have been shown to positively affect academic performance and the development of responsibility, and self-discipline.
Furthermore, extra-curricular activities can provide a student with a personal sense of belonging, causing feelings of accomplishment, self-worth and high self-esteem in students. They will also provide the students with positive experiences that can strengthen the student’s relationship with the school, and with society. Extra-curricular activities have the same qualities that have proven after school prevention programs to be effective in reducing or preventing adolescent misbehavior.
These activities further demonstrate the ‘protective factors’ that can encourage a student to avoid substance abuse. Indeed, what high school students achieve from these activities will ultimately help them gain skills and qualities that will help them cope and stand out in life once they are in college and long after they have graduated from school.
REFERENCE
Bayran, Leslie Ann. The Relationship of Extra-curricular Activities and Adolescent Deliquency. George Washington University. http://www. gwu. edu/~psyc112/lbayran/. Accessed 2March 2008.