Trudge,Trudge.

Generic_Name's feet dragged on the concrete as he sighed, walking into the school. The building towered over him while casting a gloomy, gray shadow. As he entered the school, Generic_Name's so called "friends" ignored him and talked behind his back. He had known for a while that his friends hated him, but Generic_Name hadn't had the chance to gain better friends. The boys approached Generic_Name and start ranting about how stupid he was. This was the last straw. "I'm done with you guys!" Generic_Name yelled, and stormed off. "Fine with us," one of his old friends said. Now friendless and depressed, Generic_Name wished the school day could be over as he trudged off to his first class.

"Alright class," Generic_Name's teacher said while students entered the room, "Can anyone answer this question?" No one made a sound. Everyone stared at the teacher pointing to the equation on the board. It was so quiet, you could hear the pin drop from Generic_Name's desk. Generic_Name knew the answer, but he was scared to answer. Generic_Name's teacher sighed. She said, "Today we will start a group project. I'll assign groups. Remember to work together." Generic_Name moaned and expected the worst. His group ended up being consisted of students that didn't know how to work together. They ended up arguing over everything "What happened to 'teamwork'?" the teacher asked, startled. Generic_Name answered, "Well if we had more opportunities to work with other people, we might know more about teamwork." "I better talk to the principal for more teamwork opportunities," Generic_Name's teacher said, shaking her head. I agree with the principal's decision that all students must participate in at least one extracurricular activity because students can make friends, increase self confidence, and develop teamwork skills.

The first reason why I support the decision of students participating in extra activities is that students can make friends. If students were able to join a club/activity of their choice, they would meet other people with similar interests, leading to new friends. For example, I have participated in the Generic_School Chamber Orchestra since 6th grade, and I met one of my current best friends at this club. I also have friends I met there that are at high school right now. I got closer to these people because I joined Chamber. All of us were advanced at playing an instrument, resulting in many similarities. Students with similar interests that join the same club usually have a lot of time to spend together, resulting in a friendship because they were able to connect for so long. A whole club could learn how fun it is to be around each other and even form a new friend group. I'm sure Generic_Name could use a new friend group right now!

The second reason why I support the principal's decision is that students could develop better self confidence. Some people don't try out for a sport because they are too nervous about what other people would think about them. If it was mandatory for these students to join or tryout, they could make it and see how good/talented they actually are. This results in higher confidence. A shy and low-esteemed student being part of a club and making friends could finally see how funny they are, making them happier with higher confidence. For instance, I have a friend that I dance with that had a low self confidence. She started making friends, and now she is very outgoing. Maybe if the shy girls tried out for the cheerleading team, they would join and become a preppy cheerleader stereotype.

The final reason why I agree with the decision of students having to participate in at least one activity is that students would develop teamwork skills. People who play sports or participate in clubs know that teamwork is important. A basketball team that passes the ball to each other is more likely to score than a team with one person doing everything. If students were "forced" to join an activity, they would develop teamwork skills that would help them for group projects. It would even help them in the future for when they get a job. There are very few jobs now where teamwork isn't important because people need each other to complete a task. For example, it would be hard for a construction worker to build a whole house by himself. If the school made it mandatory for students to participate in an extracurricular activity, it would help them with teamwork tremendously (especially Generic_Name).

Bounce, bounce.

Generic_Name practically skips into the school because he is so excited for Robotics. Ever since the principal made all students join an extracurricular activity, all students seemed to be happy to come to school. The building welcomed all students to a new school day. "Hey Generic_Name!" calls out Generic_Name's new friends. Generic_Name met them by joining Robotics. He runs to them and the whole Robotics team dives into conversation. "I'm so glad that I have such great friends that have similar interests as me," Generic_Name says cheerfully. Everyone laughs as they agree to walk to Robotics together. "Hey everyone! Can anyone answer this question?" Generic_Name's teacher asks while the students got settled in class. Everyone's hands shot up, including Generic_Name's. The teacher called on Generic_Name and he stated the right answer. "Correct!" the teacher said, and Generic_Name beamed. He was proud of himself and his new self confidence. He figured out how smart and funny he was after joining Robotics. He also figured out that he was great at math, and even led his team to victory at the Robotics Championship. "Let's work on our projects!" the teacher said. Generic_Name's group got together and they worked diligently for the rest of class. They each joined a club or sport, so they figured out teamwork. They worked together to produce an A+ worthy project. The teacher said, "I'm so proud that you guys figured out teamwork. The principal made a great decision!" I agree with the principal's decision that all students must participate in an extracurricular activity because they can make friends, gain self confidence, and develop teamwork skills.