Personally, I've always enjoyed participating in clubs. Which is why I believe that if the principal were to decide that everyone had to be in a club, I wouldn't be opposed. I think that having students participate in extracurricular activities is good because they can improve teamwork and relationships, they are something colleges look for, and they can help relieve the stress of school.

First off, they can help with relationships and teamwork. Doing an extracurricular where you frequently work with others can help to improve social skills and teamwork strategies. This will definitely help you in your older years, especially if you're going into a field where you need to be able to communicate with people. Communication and collaboration are things I've gotten much better at since I started joining clubs. You can also meet and connect with new people. I've met some of my closest friends in clubs.

Secondly, they're something that colleges look for. Colleges tend to seek people with some experience, and clubs can help you gain that. Picking clubs that lean more towards the major you want in college can be helpful. Certain extracurricular activities are more desired than others, but any clubs will help your application look more desirable. The National (Junior) Honor Society is an example of a club that lots of people apply to because it looks nice on applications.

Lastly, clubs can help relieve the stress of school. School can be incredibly exhausting at times. That's why some people sign up for after-school activities. They can be an escape from day-to-day life. These activities let us do something we enjoy that we might not be able to do during school. On days when the clubs I am in meet, I look forward to it the entire day. I have had friends say similar things, such as "I can't wait for rehearsal!" or "Track is something I'm really looking forward to this year!"

If one day the intercom were to turn on and our principal would say "Every student is expected to join one of our extracurricular activities," I wouldn't be upset. I believe that this is a decent idea because clubs can improve relationships and teamwork, they are something colleges look for, and they can relieve the stress of school.