Linda Roxanne Woodard, Deltona High School, Florida

The typical American high school student spends an average of 44% of his/her day in school. So what then, does he/she do with the rest of his/her waking hours? Some hang out with their friends, while others go to their part-time jobs, but many stay after school to participate in school-sponsored sports, clubs or performing arts. For these students, school has become not only an extension of their time spent there but also an integral part of “who they are”. Thus in America, extra- curricular activities are often seen to be almost as important as academics, for they help to make well- rounded students who will grow up to be well-rounded, social and active adults. However, besides these benefits, extra-curricular activities often enhance students' academic performances by keeping them focused on school, while also adding to their self-esteem by keeping them away from juvenile delinquency and substance abuse. Since American schools are state and district run, each catering to the needs of its community and school size, it would be impossible to elaborate on every aspect of this idea besides the aforementioned ones. Hence, an overall generalization as found through research and looking at what is offered at Deltona High School in Deltona , Florida will be examined.

But first, what constitutes a school-sponsored extra-curricular activity needs to be explained. Basically there are three types. The first type is “curricular” such as journalism in which these educational experiences are considered part of the regular program offerings, and students receive grades for them. However, the student's job is not just done in the classroom, but also sometimes after school in order to complete the work that may not have been finished during school hours. For example, if a student is working on the school newspaper, he/she will have to attend events that occur after school in order to report on them. The second is “co-curricular” such as F.F.A. (Future Farmers of America) or drama which is an extension or enrichment of the regular program offerings and also require after school commitment. The third is totally “extra-curricular” and include such groups as cheerleading and academic team; various “interest level clubs” such as language clubs; honorary organizations like National Honor Society (NHS); and service groups who help the school and the community like Key Club which is an extension of the adult organization the Kiwanis Club. These educational experiences are not found in the regular program offerings and are either competitive in nature or are special interest groups. Sports/athletics may fall under any of these three depending upon the school.

At Deltona High School where the student body of 3,100 is culturally diverse, many students can be found after school doing what they enjoy most. Students have many different types of extra-curricular activities from which to choose, and athletics is one of them. In America , no school can go without having at least a few athletic teams for “high school” and “sports” go hand-in-hand. Most high schools have their own stadiums or share one with other schools, and they often are the “entertainment” of small town America . Athletics are offered year round to both males and females, and at Deltona High they fulfill a wide range. Fall sports include: football, cross country, swimming, bowling, golf, and girls' volleyball and flag football (for the first time this school year). Winter sports include: basketball, wrestling, soccer, and girls' weightlifting. Spring sports include: girls' softball, baseball, tennis, track & field, and boys' weightlifting and volleyball. During the 2005-2006 school year, approximately 550 students participated in these sports.

For the “curricular” and “co-curricular” activities, both males and females may take journalism (and work on either the school newspaper or the yearbook), marching band, chorus, Kolage (the performance chorus group) Elite/Xplosion (dance teams), drama, H.O.S.A. (Health Occupations Students of America), J.R.O.T.C., D.E.C.A. (Diversified Education Clubs of America), H.E.R.O. (Home Economics Related Occupations), and F.F.A. (Future Farmers of America).

For the “extra-curricular” activities, one would find many students on these membership lists: DHS Academic Team, BETA (an honor and service society), Break-dancing /FX Crew, B.P.A. (Business Professionals of America), cheerleading, (freshman, junior varsity and varsity), F.T.A. (Future Teachers of America), I.T.S. (International Thespian Society), Generation Cross (a Christian group), International Dance Club, Japanese Arts Club, Juniorettes (a service club which started out for females only), Key Club (a service club which started out for males only), Model United Nations Club, N.H.S. (National Honor Society), Reflections (color guard), Rho Kappa (Social Studies Honorary Society), S.E.T.A. (Students for Ethical Treatment of Animals), Spanish Honorary Society, Student Government Association, Varsity Link Crew, Visions (a fashion modeling group), and Young Republicans. Along with these, there are also “class clubs” with the biggest being the Junior Class as they are responsible for putting the prom together for the seniors. Note too, that the DHS Marching Band, Kolage, H.O.S.A., D.E.C.A, F.F.A, H.E.R.O., and Elite/Xplosion fall into this category as well when they compete with other schools and/or clubs. All told,1,500 DHS students participate in these activities with many in more than just one.

Activities beyond lessons are an essential part of overall learning, for as children grow older, their needs as a person are a vital part of their growth. But besides this, they not only make school more pleasurable, but they also create an atmosphere that promotes school spirit and social interaction between students in a healthy atmosphere. However if one digs deeper, it is evident that extra-curricular activities help students even more so on an individual level. They become more responsible and organized, show more self- discipline, feel better about themselves due to accomplishing goals outside the academic realm, and even hone in on leadership skills which all equate with getting better grades and staying in school. Furthermore, these students have fewer discipline problems in and out of school and are less likely to abuse substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Thus, this “bond” that is formed between the school and the student provides a sense of belonging which is a human need as theorized in Malsow's Hierarchy of Needs and is crucial to survival.

It has been noted that often there seems to be a direct correlation between students involved in extra-curricular activities and their grades. Research done by Mary Rombokas of Middle Tennessee State University shows this may be true. She interviewed 292 college students and found out that those who had taken part in after school activities had a “higher intellectual and social development” (Black, 1995, para. 4) than those who did not. She concluded that extra-curricular activities often “the only component” (Black, 1995, para. 4) that makes students come to school and to not fall behind.

*during the first semester of their senior year

It cannot be known from these data, however, whether participation leads to success, or that successful students are more prone to participate outside of the classroom. (O'Brien & Rollefson, 1995). Note: even though the first two indicators are more geared toward delinquent behaviors, it is also known that there is a direct correlation between school attendance and grades.

In 1995, the state of Texas passed a bill stating that students have to pass classes in order to participate in extra-curricular activities, including athletics. After the bill was passed, 468 principals filled out and returned a questionnaire that examined the relationship between students who passed their state exit exam called TAAS as well as their classes. It was noted that students who did participate in extra-curricular activities passed the TAAS exam at a higher rate than those who did not; it also had shown that the dropout rate amongst those students was lower as well. And finally, more students have remained eligible to play sports or participate in other activities since the inception of that rule ( Hambrick, 2001).

The state of Florida has a similar rule, but goes one step further. It states that any student who wants to participate in any sport or other extra-curricular activity has to maintain a 2.0 GPA (on a 4 point scale), as well as earn no grade lower than a 2.0 in the core subjects (English, math, science, and social studies). When it was implemented, it of course affected athletics the most since many were known for their brawn and not their brain. Hence, most high schools in Volusia County created after school study halls to help athletes keep up with their studies as well as offering computer tutoring labs in case they did fall behind, negating the assumption that sports often cut into study time. But it did not stop there, for along with this, student athletes also had to have a weekly progress report filled out by their teachers, so the coaches could keep track of their academic progress. And finally, a new concept called “Athletes as Scholars” emerged which tried to eliminate the old stereotype that athletes of certain sports were not up to par with their peers intellectually. These programs are still in place today and are very successful.

A study by Alan Silliker and Jeffrey Quirk studied the effect of sports with the performance of boys and girls who played interscholastic soccer (football). The two discovered that the grade point averages for both were higher during the soccer season than the off season. (Black, 1995). From my own experience, I know this is true as well, for if I have an athlete who is not performing up to par, all I have to do is to call his/her coach and the problem is rectified as no pass/ no play!

A study by Ralph B. Mc Neal, Jr. in 1995 examined how a student's integration with a school via participation in activities contributed to personal growth and identity creation. In most high schools there is a hierarchy amongst activities. McNeal reported that generally athletic teams and academic clubs had the highest status, followed by music and fine arts groups. Interest clubs ranked the lowest, and therefore often did not always keep adolescents in school. The reason for this disparity is because athletics play an important role in American schools and gives students associated with said teams a sense of “prestige” which they would lose if they dropped out (1995). Thus, sports do tend to keep students in school. Another study looked at the relationship between high school athletes and later-life outcomes and discovered that overall those who were considered to be part of the “elite” in 1990 or 1992 on their varsity level teams, had a more impressive success rate in both post education and professional work environments than their non-athlete counterparts. Most of the athletes had at least a bachelor's degree by the year 2000 compared to their non-athlete counterparts, as well as earning a higher income ( Carlson, Scott, Planty, & Thompson, 2005).

As was stated in previously, extra-curricular activities in American high schools are extremely important, but especially for those who want to attend colleges and universities where enrollment competition is tough. Besides looking at the GPA and SAT/ACT scores, admission officers check to see if students showed leadership abilities as well as socialization skills via extra-curricular activities. Dana Powers who teaches AP Senior English (it is equivalent to a college English class, hence all of her students are the brightest our school has to offer) at Deltona High School notes these are the students who “run the school” in regards to clubs and organizations. These high performing teenagers often see themselves as leaders of others and set competitive goals for themselves. They are not the “complainers” but ones who manage their time wisely, so they can study for tests and do their homework, participate in school activities, and sometimes even work at a part-time job. They also have a great sense of community outside and inside the school; hence, they are often the “movers and the shakers” while maintaining honor roll status (personal communication, July 12, 2006). Danielle Van Nuys is an active student at Deltona High who not only has a part time job, but also is in Student Government, Key Club and N.H.S. and on the Paw Print staff. She feels that doing all of this keeps her organized in her work especially when it comes to her schoolwork. She writes down all of her assignments that have both short and long term due dates and organizes her free and work times around those as well as the meeting times of her clubs. She admits that this type of organization may be repetitive, but it gives her a “sense of control” and keeps her from procrastinating. She also feels that with all this hard effort, she will have no problem getting into the college of her choice next year (personal communication July 14, 2006). A high school guidance counselor who had chartered academic profiles of seniors stated that students who participated in extra-curricular activities not only had higher grades, but also fewer absences (Black, 1995) which lead to fewer students dropping out of school.

It appears that participation in extra-curricular activities “brings about integration with the school in some form, which can decrease the likelihood of a student dropping out…” (Black, 1995, para 5). Joseph Mahoney tracked 695 children from seven southwestern schools to age 24 and discovered that those male and female students who participated in after school activities were less likely to drop out or to be arrested (Black, 1995). In a study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it was concluded that students who spent no time in school-sponsored activities as compared to those who spent 1-4 hours per week were 57% more likely to drop out of school by the time they reached their senior year. (Zill, Winquist Nord & Spencer Loomis, 1995).

Besides few dropping out of school, those students who were active in high school tended to stay out of trouble and to have a lower rate of substance abuse. When looking at adolescent delinquency, it was reported in 1997 that most crimes committed by teenagers are between 2:30 P.M. and 8:30 P.M. (Bayran, n.d.) However, if they are participating in extra-curricular activities, they are off the streets which can lead to a complete personality turnaround. Involvement in extra-curricular activities can unequivocally affect an adolescent's personality traits or attitudes, particularly those that are associated with what they deem as “important” in regards to themselves, school, academics and society. When a teenager is engaged in activities that require him/her to take on duties and obligations in addition to the demands of academics, the individual is forced to become more responsible, self-disciplined, and self-reliant. But besides all of this, positive emotions and feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem, and self-worth replace all the negative ones the child may have been experiencing. Instead of feeling like an outcast, the teen now “belongs to something” and receives respect, acceptance and recognition from his/her friends in this “positive” environment instead of resorting to delinquent activities in order to gain this same acceptance elsewhere. And it is when adolescents gain a sense of self-worth and belongingness, as well as learn important tasks through participation in extra-curricular activities, it is likely that they will not only gain respect for themselves but also for others and their property, reducing the likelihood of engaging in activities that would disrespect the things that are of value to them (Black, 1995).

It is hard to separate this type of behavior, however, without tying it to substance abuse as the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention stated that “alcohol and other drugs [were] associated with 62% of assaults, 52% of raped, 20-35% of suicides and even 49% of murders committed by teen” (Bayran, n.d., para 3). And in 1993, “the cost to society of teen alcohol and drug abuse was nearly $400 billion” (Bayran, n.d., para 7). In a 2004 report done by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services that looked at behavior of 12-17 year olds, it was discovered that 5.3% of those who had been in extra-curricular activities used an illicit drug other than marijuana compared to 7.6% of those who did not participate in any school activity. In regards to marijuana, 7.3% who were active used it compared to 11.6% to those who were not. In regards to cigarettes, 11.4% who were active smoked as compared to 19.5 who were not. Only when alcohol was discussed was there only a slight difference. For the students who participated in extra-curricular activities, 17.5 % drank alcohol compared to 18.1% who did not participate It was noted too, however, that alcohol and “binge drinking” was more of a problem with athletes than other groups (“Participation in youth...”, 2004). No one knows quite why this is true, except for the fact that this type of activity has seemed to filter down from the universities, as well as student athletes are now sometimes randomly drug tested at some high schools.

In a publication by The Center for Substance Prevention, it was determined that several “risk factors” such as low self-worth, feeling no connection to society, the inability to form close positive friendships and school failure and dropout all lead to behavioral problems which can include delinquency and substance abuse. Conversely, school-sponsored activities offer “protective factors” that substance-free youth tend to show such as self-worth, self-discipline, an internal focus of control, social proficiency with a group and the ability to think things through in order to solve problems effectively (Bayran, n.d). Seeking to understand the relationship between adolescents' satisfaction with life and their participation in extracurricular activities, Georgia State University 's Rich Gilman studied 321 high school students. He found that students who took part in greater numbers of structured extra-curricular activities reported significantly higher satisfaction with school than did those with minimal or no participation. Gilman's research confirms findings from several previous studies: Taking part in extracurricular activities increases students' feeling of commitment to school (Black, 1995). And that, in turn, translates into a healthier and happier adolescent.

When schools offer extra-curricular activities, everyone wins. They not only occupy a student's idle time that would perhaps lead to negative and risky behaviors, but also help him/her to develop important social skills, create challenging situations, and provide for fulfilling and enriching experiences. All of which will culminate in the student becoming an active and successful adult---and isn't that what school is all about?