Extracurricular activities play a large part in any student's middle school career. Whether it is sports, music, yearbook, or art club, extracurricular activities help shape students, as well as their futures. I feel that all middle school students should participate in at least one extracurricular activity.

Extracurricular activities give students opportunities to make friends and develop their social skills. Clubs and activities expose students to new people they may have never met otherwise. Meeting different people and working together with them helps prepare middle schoolers for life in the real world. In life after middle school you meet new people almost every day. Being able to work well with people, whether it is on a science project or a business pitch, is an essential life skill. Having experience with these skills will help students go far in life.

Being part of an community is a very large part of students well being. When students feel as thought they have no one to be there for them, their mental health can be affected. Extracurricular activities make students feel like they are part of a community. Another way extracurricular activities benefit students is that they can improve performance in school. It has been proven that attendance rates are higher in students who participate in extracurricular activities then in student who do not. Being a part of a team and community helps motivate students to do their best and strive for success.

When student join extracurricular activities they not only work with new people, but they also get a chance to learn more about themselves. An example of this is one of my personal experiences. I had just started middle school. Theatre was one of the electives I was taking. I really enjoyed the class so I decided I would sign up for the upcoming fall play. I new I did not want to be on stage, so I signed up to help with costumes. In the time leading up to the play, I learned so much about myself. I realized how much I loved technical theatre and fashion design. I also learned that you can be a part of theatre without being on stage. Looking back, I am so grateful that I decided to participate in the play. I learned things about myself that I never would have if I had not.

That is why I believe that extracurricular activities should be participated in by all middle school students.

Extracurricular activities provide students a chance to develop social skills and prepare for adulthood while also helping student learn more about themselves. Student get to become a part of a community and expand their knowledge of the world in which we live.