You’ve been in that class. That one where a student  talks non stop, interrupts, and the teacher can’t get the student to stop. But then, a coach walks by, and the teacher threatens to “Tell Coach.” The student’s face changes and instantly starts paying attention. Those two words are powerful to an athlete.

Extracurricular activities help students improve academic performance, and develop life skills to stay focused and pay attention in class.

Eighth grader Luke Morgenroth said, “Extracurricular activities are fun, and gets my brain off of school but still disciplined.”

According to census.gov, students who participate in extracurricular activities have proven that they have higher grades when testing.

Eighth grade math teacher Mr. Busch said, “Students in extracurricular activities seem to pay more attention and participate in group activities. They also answer more questions when I ask them.”

More students in extracurricular activities plan on earning a college degree than students that weren’t in extracurricular activities. In addition, more students in extracurricular activities have a GPA of 3.0 or higher than students who aren’t.

Eighth grader Lucas Hagan said, “To be able to play football, you have to be disciplined. I guess that not only helped me in football, but also in school, because it reminds me to always pay attention.”

According to crimsoneducation.org students in extracurricular activities tend to have better life skills such as making friends, team work, goal setting, and problem solving.

Extracurricular activities such as sports, music and art have their advantages. Your day may be longer, but the benefits of doing something outside of the school day has positive effects.

Playing a sport or instrument can be used as an outlet to forget about school. Maybe you could even use it to your advantage, to get higher grades, or to have a little more fun. You could even use it to make more friends and meet new people.