Staying after for practices, cheering in student sections and putting in time to work on The Journal are some of the things I do to stay involved at this oh-so-lovely school. Sadly, many people say “screw this” and don’t even attempt to get involved and buy into the high school experience, but I’m telling you, your journey through high school will be a lot better if you do.

I am telling you this from personal experience. The student publications class (The Journal) has easily become my favorite class of the year. That is probably because I genuinely love writing and photography, but I know a lot of people don’t. So their “screw this” attitude still remains, but would these people still be saying that if they were actually interested in what they were doing?

Aside from the major sport programs like football and basketball, SHS has 28 clubs and 16 organizations. Bass fishing, chess club, yoga club, robotics, table tennis: these are just a few of the clubs SHS has to offer. You could also join organizations that help organize major school events like the Riley Dance Marathon or prom.

Not to mention you could join the theater, orchestra, pit orchestra, band, jazz band, marching band or drumline. For many of these activities, you can earn scholarships and go to college for less or even free. There are so many opportunities right beneath our feet that are not only fun, but can really help you in the long run.

I encourage students to find someway to get involved in school not only to just enrich your high school experience, but because it will look great on a college application. The things you do in your free time are majorly important to colleges, because what you do in your free time can reveal things about you that tests and quizzes can’t, according to bigfuture.com.

Also, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, 68.2 percent of students who are involved in extracurricular activities expect to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to just 48.2 percent of students who aren’t involved in anything. Another shocking statistic is that 30.6 percent of students involved in extracurriculars have a 3.0 GPA or higher while only 10.8 percent of student who aren’t involved do. These stats show direct correlation between extracurriculars and school success.

Now I know one reason some kids don’t join clubs or anything is because they’re afraid of not knowing other people. To me it’s simple: if you join something that you’re interested in, you are going to meet others with that same interest. Common interests is how pretty much all friendships start so I don’t think students should worry about being all alone in a club. I think it’ll only help you gain friends. I know that’s true in my case with being on the basketball team and joining The Journal.

I strongly believe that all students should buy into the high school experience by getting involved in our school. It will help in school success, help in college acceptance, help you meet more people and finally, just make school more fun.