“What’d you sign up for?” is a common question asked among students at most high schools. In other words: What activities are you in? What clubs do you belong to? and, What value do these activities have?
Many people would agree that even long after high school they have fond memories of extracurricular activities and that participating in those activities taught lessons of immense value different from the lessons learned in a formal classroom setting.
No matter what your strength or interest, high schools usually offer a variety of clubs and organizations to choose from, each with its own way of helping students expand their minds, cultivate an interest or future career, and strengthen relationships all within a more relaxed atmosphere. Extracurriculars also strengthen a wide range of specific and essential skills for students.
7 Reasons Why Extracurriculars are Essential to a High School Student’s Career
1. Social Skills
Students learn to interact with others socially. They learn to be respectful of differing views and how to behave appropriately in a group. Having good social skills are imperative to growth in maturity and character.
2. Collaborative Learning
People often associate team work with sports, but just about any club will cultivate this skill - it can range from planning a presentation in an international club to following a recipe in a cooking club. Students in extracurricular clubs quickly realize that a great deal of collaboration is needed to complete tasks in many facets of life. These collaborative skills are sought by many employers in the workforce.
3. Work Ethic
Many organizations require a work commitment from students involved. Students who might be on the newspaper or yearbook staff will have deadlines to complete assigned tasks. Students in a math club must develop a discipline for learning the subject in class so they can complete. Forensic students must likewise commit to memorizing and performing a speech - not to mention getting up early and traveling to local high schools to compete. No matter the subject or theme of the club, students are given opportunities to acquire a strong work ethic that employers seek in potential employees.
4. Creativity
Several extracurriculars require student creativity and thinking outside-the-box. These activities could include public speaking events in forensics, choreography, planning presentations or contributing ideas during a meeting. Students who push themselves to break away from the ordinary and strive to be highly creative are more likely to grow into individuals who consider many options for success.
5. Time Management
Balancing time is a valuable skill for anyone in school or outside of it, especially at a boarding school. Learning how to budget time assists students in their academic and community life and teaches great responsibility. Commitment to a club or organization requires the development of time management abilities - yet another example of vital life skills.
6. Experience for Future Careers
Your student’s future job will most likely call for creativity, collaboration and an ability to interact positively with others. Many jobs will also require an employee to work independently, think critically, and possess a wide range of social skills. Extracurricular clubs provide numerous opportunities to refine these sort of skills.
7. Deeping Fraternal Ties
As with many collaborative activities, friendships and bonds are strengthened in extracurriculars. Students learn how to support one another, put the needs of others before their own, become familiar with a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and grow in their friendships. At a boarding school, this is emphasized even more so - living together and working together fosters a strong tie between students. Be it practicing a piece together for forensics, cooking together in a cooking club or writing captions for the yearbook, students experience a great deal of brotherly care, fun and enjoyment.
Extracurricular experiences offered to students are wide and varied. They allow students to grow and spend time with peers in a productive and educational way, and, more often than not, fun. A boarding school setting makes these activities even more intense and meaningful as bonding experiences and as a way to satisfy curiosity or discover a previously unknown interest.
So when people in the future ask what a high school graduate what they ‘were’ in high school, chances are that several extracurriculars played a role in shaping the person they are today.
St. Lawrence Seminary is proud to offer a wide variety of extracurriculars to our students:
For more information about St. Lawrence Seminary High School and the benefits of a boarding school education, download our FREE Parent's Guide.
St. Lawrence Seminary is an all boys Catholic boarding school located in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. We welcome students from the Midwest, across the United States, and from around the globe. Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the example of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Lawrence Seminary provides a residential college preparatory education in a living Catholic community nurturing mature, well-rounded men of faith. See if St. Lawrence is right for you and your son.
