I agree with this decision because I believe extracurricular activities help young people in many different ways! Extracurricular activities helps us have lower stress levels, learn to be social and work with others, and help us find who we are. Extracurriculars also expand our horizons and give us opportunities and new passions we otherwise wouldn't have known about! Extracurricular activities also make you more well-rounded because then you won't only be in school but you'll also have another responsibility to take care of.

My first reason to why we should have at least one extracurricular is because they help us balance our lives and learn new skills. When school is becoming very stressful, other activities can take your mind off of it and help make you more relaxed. When I am feeling very stressed about something I like to bake things because it takes my mind off all other things I need to worry about! They can also help us with social skills. People aren't always good at working in a group or being a social person. Being able to work in a group is a very useful skill and being on a team can help you learn to be good at that! Some extracurricular activities can teach you valuable things like those.

Volleyball helps me take focus off things that are happening in my life. For example, one day at school I was having a really tough day and I came home super upset and did not want to go to practice but my parents made me. During practice, my teammates expressed how they also had a bad day and talking about it made me feel a little better. Playing that day really took my mind off my awful day because I was so distracted by trying to play well and work my hardest that I forgot all about my day at school!

Another reason why I think we should have extracurricular activities is because they expand our horizons! They help us find new talents we otherwise wouldn't have discovered. You never know if you'll be good at something if you don't try it, and that's what extracurricular activities are for! They can help you showcase your hidden talents and give you new opportunities. Extracurricular activities are also such a fun experience, they can make you so passionate about them if you find the right one for you!

As I mentioned before, I started playing volleyball in fourth grade and since then I've become very invested in it. Before trying volleyball I tried other sports like soccer and gymnastics but I wasn't passionate about any of them. Now I play on a travel team for volleyball and I love the sport so much! It's helped me discover talents I never knew I had before. I never would have known that I can jump high, work well in teams, or give good pep-talks if I hadn't decided to try volleyball!

My last reason for why I think extracurricular activities are helpful is that they make you a more well rounded person. Excelling at school is great, but having another activity really makes you seem more balanced. For example, high school students don't only have school to worry about but also extracurricular activities! If you have more extracurriculars you look balanced and it shows that you dedicate time to work hard in school and in your activity! This helps you develop a habit to work hard in more than one thing which will pay off a lot in the future.

Extracurricular activities such as sports, theater, debate, etc. help so much in trying to get into college. You stand out as a person who can do more than excel at school! Playing volleyball helps me look more well rounded because it's a huge commitment! I have to work so hard to be able to travel every weekend while still doing well in school! It's made me really focus on getting assignments in on time which is really eye opening!

Before I move on to my closing statement, I would like to share about how extracurricular activities help me in my daily life. Volleyball really helped me learn how to balance school and my activities. I learned how to complete my homework days before it's due, how to study for tests quickly and efficiently, and how to catch up on school work after I miss some days for a tournament. My other activities also really help me with stress because I know after a hard day I can go to practice and play my best because of how frustrated I am, or I can bake something tasty and have a nice snack and it really takes my mind off what I'm worrying about!

In conclusion, I think having every student participate in at least one extracurricular is a great decision! I agree with this decision because activities help us control our stress levels and teach us valuable social skills. Another reason is because they give us new opportunities and showcase hidden talents we may have not known we had. My final reason is that they help us look more well balanced and shows that we put time and effort into excelling in school and in our extracurricular activities as well.