Your principal has decided that all students must participate in at least one extracurricular activity. For example, students could participate in sports, work on the yearbook, or serve on the student council. Do you agree or disagree with this decision?

The decision that the principal has come up with is very brilliant, as this is very beneficial to the students. Students finally have a fun thing that they can look forward to when they wake up in the morning to go to school, instead of dreading it. Students should be involved in at least one extracurricular activity because they might find a new skill that may have been hidden and this way they can bring out their potential, an extracurricular can be something productive students can spend their free time with instead of doing something non-productive, and students can finally decide for themselves if they really enjoy their activity and if they want to pursue it in the future.

One reason why students should participate in at least one activity is because they might find a hidden talent that was hidden inside of them. Many students just focus on grades and passing in schools, which can definitely take the fun out of learning and school, but having an extracurricular can finally help students pull out their max potential on many things. They might find that they are naturally talented at sports. I never knew I was good at catching and running the ball in football, but when I tried playing a real football game, and I loved it. It helped me realize I love football, and I want to practice it a lot so I can become better at it, because I genuinely enjoy the sport. Sports isn't the only thing that a student can have hidden potential for. Many students are super talented at art, and they realize their abilities to create vivid drawings by participating in an art club, or selecting an art class for their elective. While extracurriculars are good at helping you realize what you are good at, it can also help you realize what you aren't as good at, and that's okay. I realize I am more talented at sports than art, so I can fully focus on sports more than my art abilities without regrets.

Another reason why extracurriculars should be a part of a student's life is because they can help you perform more productive tasks than doing something non-productive. When I never realized how much I loved basketball and football, my life was really bland and not interesting. My life's cycle was too repetitive. I would come home after school, take a shower, sit down on my chair, watch videos on the internet while eating, play some video games, then sleep. That is so boring and it leaves no room for the things I should be doing at my age. As a 13-year-old boy, I should be active outside with my friends, playing basketball, or just walking around. So when I realized how the genuine in my love of sports, I stopped just playing video games, and spent most of my day playing outside, which can be very productive, as it fills the recommended amount of activity time. This was the help of an extracurricular. My life is more healthy now, and I can proudly say I am an above average basketball and football player. The old cycle of my life applies to more teens my age, so an extracurricular can help them achieve to spend their life doing more productive things.

The final reason why I think an extracurricular should be required in a student's life is because they can help you realize what you enjoy doing, and if you want to pursue it in the future. No one comes up with their future dream career without any past experiences in their life. I cannot think of someone who just says, "I want to become a fashion designer in the future," without any experience in that field beforehand. So an extracurricular can open up those pathways to your dream job, and give you the experience that you may really enjoy. If you don't enjoy an activity you wanted to do in the future, you know now not to focus on that, and try to steer towards other careers. When I was 11 years old, my biggest dream job was to be a animator for Disney. However, I only had minimal experience with stick figure animations. After animating for another year on my computer, I lost interest in it, and I have shifted my future away animations, because I do not want a job where I do not enjoy it. Extracurriculars can help anyone decide on what they want to do in the future, which is very beneficial in the path where the student's life can potentially head towards.

In conclusion, students should be involved in at least one extracurricular because it can help find a hidden talent the student never knew he/she had, it can help use the student's free time in a more productive manner, and it can help the decision of the student's future career. Many students can be stumped during their life, because they just don't know what to do. This principal obviously recognized this, and wanted a fix and a turning point in the student's life, so he implemented a smart idea, requiring students to participate in an activity. A lot of students can benefit from this. Maybe they can become a future NFL star, or a brilliant artist, or a fashion designer. They can also realize if they do not like a hobby that they thought they would enjoy, the student can learn from that experience to turn away from it. Students also spend a lot of mindless hours on video games because it is their escape from the stress of school. I definitely understand that because I went through it, but there are many ways to release stress in a productive manner. So I agree with the decision of requiring students to participate in an extracurricular.