My principal has just made an incredibly bold move, something that has never been done before in my school's history. Starting now, all students must participate in at least one extracurricular activity. Many students are mad, many don't care, and few are supportive. It does seem unfair for the school to decide your life outside of school, doesn't it? Well, although it does seem controlling for the school to do this, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. I think all students should participate in at least one extracurricular activity because it can help a student's resume in the future, help students make friends, and help students find their passions.

Starting off, I believe that participating in a extracurricular activity can help a student's resume. When you apply for your first couple of jobs, the employers do want to see you are doing well in school, but also want to know what you are doing outside of school. The activities someone does in their free time can really show a business the person's character. If employers see that the person was on a sports team or in a music group, they know they are good with working with others. If an employer sees the person was on the student council, they know they are a good leader. If they do volunteer work, employers know that the person is kind, and will always be willing to help someone out. All of these traits are great to have when working, and will make it more likely that you are hired.

The second reason I think students should do an extracurricular activity is because it can help them make friends. A lot of students in middle school deal with the issue of being left out. Either their friends from elementary school have moved away, or they have drifted apart over the years. Whatever the case is, having no friends makes it hard for you to get to know people. Normally, these students are viewed as outsiders, and a lot of people try to avoid talking or interacting with them. However, there is a solution, just not an easy one for someone that doesn't normally talk with other people. Joining an extracurricular activity can help students meet new friends. People in their group or team might be more willing to be friends, since they know the student better now from playing with them or working with them. Plus, everyone has something in common. To sum it up, extracurricular activities can help lonelier students meet new people and make friends.

The last reason I think students should do an extracurricular activity is because it can help people find their passions. I believe everyone has a passion, but it is difficult for people to find their's. However, being forced to try a new activity such as a musical instrument or sports can help someone find what they truly enjoy, and I have a real life example to prove it. When I was younger I used to try all sorts of sports, baseball, soccer, basketball, etc. They were all alright, but none were ever really exciting for me. Then, my parents signed me up for swimming, something I thought was ridiculous. If I didn't find sprinting down a field and dodging other kids exciting, how would I get through a summer of gliding in the water? Though interestingly, swimming turned out to be my passion. I do believe that the reason I liked swimming so much was because of how positive the environment was. In the other sports my teammates were very pressuring, and if I made a small mistake, I would be yelled at. However, swimming wasn't like that at all. I could swim great, alright, or horrible and my teammates would still congratulate me for trying my best and working hard. Though remember, I found my passion for swimming by being forced to try it. I believe that if I wasn't pushed out of that stage of defeat I was in, I still wouldn't have found out what I truly enjoyed doing. That is why I think being forced to do an extracurricular activity can help students find their passions.

To sum it all up, I think all students should participate in at least one extracurricular activity because it can show their positive traits to employers, help lonelier students find friends with similar interests, and push students to try something new and maybe find their passion. Leadership, kindness, and being social are all great traits that employers can see someone has, depending on what extracurricular activities they do. If a student who normally doesn't have any friends joins a team or group, they can find people with they same interests, and finally feel accepted. Lastly, if a student has given up on extracurricular activities because of a few bad experiences, they can be pushed outside of their comfort zone, and maybe finally find something they really enjoy. In conclusion, you are only a kid once and when it is all over, it's hard for you to join a sports team or music group as an adult. Doing these activities at a young age can help you find a hobby or a passion, maybe you will make some friends, and when you enter the real world, you'll have a resume that shows business's that you will work hard and make a great employee.