Imagine this routine. Wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, go to bed, repeat. Sounds boring right? But somewhere between those steps, imagine doing an activity that you love. Makes it a lot more fun doesn't it? I believe that all students should participate in an extracurricular activity because it helps them try new things, I am also in an extracurricular activity, and it allows people to focus on something besides schoolwork.

My first reason is that being involved in an extracurricular activity allows students to try new things. It's hard to try a new thing because it's scary to get out of your comfort zone. But very soon, it can become enjoyable and fun. Meeting new people is always a great thing to do in an activity. The students will get new friends and it will let them have someone to do the activity with. In activities, a lot of people come in not knowing that they may be good at it. Participating in activities can help someone find their "thing". Extracurricular activities let students try new things that help them find out whether or not they like it.

Another reason is that I am involved in dance and it has really helped me become a more diverse person. I have been dancing since I was three years old and I only did ballet back then but as I got older I started more styles such as tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, contemporary, and I still do ballet. Doing all of those styles has made me a versatile dancer. On average I dance about 14 hours a week and it's incredibly tiring but it's also my passion and I love it. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Dancing has made me branch out, make new friends, and do what I love. Doing this activity has helped me figure out what I want to be doing forever. Being involved in dance has let me find out my passion and allowed me to become a stronger person.

My third and final reason is that extracurricular activities allow students to focus on something besides schoolwork. A lot of people just go to school, come home, do homework, and then just sit around doing nothing. It's get boring but activities let students do something fun. Schoolwork can become stressful if that's all that someone does. Sometimes focusing on something else can help take their mind off of it. Extracurricular activities can be relaxing. For example, some people do yoga or paint to forget about their stress. Those things can help people not stress as much. Activities allow kids to work on something non-school related.

After all of these reasons it's clear that out of school activities are great for students because it helps them try new things, I am in an activity and I love it, and it allows kids to do something besides schoolwork. I think that all students should do an extracurricular activity that they love.           