GOALLLLLL!!!!

Whether it's playing sports, participating in student council, school plays, or just painting in art club, all teens and students need that extra confidence, and adrenaline boost that extracurricular activities provide. Principle of Generic_School, Generic_Name, is proposing a new, controversial school rule that states, "All students at BRMS

must participate in at least one extracurricular activity throughout the year." Should his rule be enforced or shot down? If you were to compare the pros and cons, the answer is yes! Not only will this rule be beneficial to all of the students physical and mental health, but forcing kids to branch out and do extracurricular activities will bring them out of their shell and mold them into a better person.

The first reason why . Generic_Name's rule should be enforced is pretty clear. By forcing students to participate in activities that they may not have signed up for on their own, they are forced out of their shell and meet new people who share similar passions. In a pole taken at Southern Utah Middle School, the students were asked approximately how many friends they had and generally how they met. The study discovered that most students who were involved in clubs, student council, sports, and etc. answered with higher numbers of friends, many of which they made through their out of school activities. This shows that you don't only just learn a trade catered to your interests, but you also meet lots of new people who share those interests and become your closest relative friends. You could even meet your soul mate! At Harvard University, the students studied married couples and found that over 70% of their top ten passions and interests were shared, that's 7 out of 10! Forming bonds with new people can help with trust and relationship issues and can all be done through simply being forced to branch out and participate in an extracurricular activity at your school.

Another meaningful reason for the students to be forced to enjoy extracurricular activities is because of their mental and physical health. World renown author of several New York Times awarded self-help books, doctor, and psychiatrist, Leonard Steigerwald explains, "Getting involved in clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities can not only boost your physical health, but mental too." Steigerwald is stating the obvious, when students participate in sports, or even a poem writing club, they are staying physically, and mentally active. Being around other people can also help keep you mentally healthy. A recent news story even further investigates this topic, New York resident, Flynn Engstrom, was visiting a relative in Colorado when he got lost on a hike. He was missing for a month and six days and when the police found him, he was in a desperate state. He was so happy to see people that he began to cry uncontrollably. He remembered, "I was longing to see humans again. I barely had food, or clean water and in my weak mental state, I began to imagine things," he shuddered, "Horrible things that I had convinced myself were real. Seeing those officers, [I] felt my sanity pouring back into my mind." Although this story is quite an extreme example. If students are just sitting at home all day after school on their phones, their confidence and motivation to do anything will begin to dwindle.

Having a clear head space has been proven to help with academics, and participating in extracurricular activities has proven to help clear your mind. In 2017 students who are active in their community and school were proven to have better SOL, SAT, and just overall grades. GPAs in Colleges have been harder to meet as far as the 110% of all the valedictorians from high schools around the globe. Getting involved in out of or in school activities can look good on job applications, college applications, and can just generally give you motive when you are having a hard time in life. Professor at the University of Utah in Northern Canada, Jillian Hooper explains, "Everyday I see students struggle with their grades, and everyday the only ones who can bounce back are those who take a break, and spend time volunteering, practicing a sport, or any other extracurricular activity, it's vital for these college students." She wants people to understand that activities can be beneficial.

Although it's pretty clear that Generic_Name's rule should be passed, it was mentioned earlier to be controversial. This is because several parents and students at Generic_School say that this rule is infringing on their right to pursue happiness. The Constitution clearly states, when listing the rights of all U.S. citizens, "The pursuit of happiness" however there are certain exceptions to this law. In schools, students are required to take SOLs and other tests. Do SOLs make students happy? No. Unfortunately though, it is required in schools. Requiring extracurricular activities is quite on the contrary. Instead of going home and "pursuing happiness" on their phones, the teens would be able to occasionally stay after school with friends and do something that they care about. The Physical Education Council in Western Loudoun County in Virginia conducted a study with some interesting results. The tracked the brains levels of happiness through the process of cells creating a natural sort of nicotine. When this chemical is released in the brain, it causes the feeling that humans identify as, "being happy". The study proved that the chemical was released more often in those who were social and around other people rather then loners, who study, work, and text by themselves. This means that when students participate in activities with others, they are actually happier and mentally healthier.

In the end, the rule should be passed and all students should be required to participate in extracurricular activities. It will not only be beneficial for their mental health, happiness, and social life, but also for academics and physical activity. 