Almost every high school student is involved in some sort of extracurricular activity. Whether it’s sports, clubs, or music, at Dakota it seems like there’s something for everyone. When it comes to these activities, some students are more involved than others. To hear multiple perspectives on extracurricular involvement, I interviewed two seniors at Dakota, one who participates in many extracurricular activities, Dani Slone, and another who isn’t as involved, Mallory Donaldson. Here’s what they had to say:

Q: How many extracurricular activities are you currently involved in? 

Dani: 8                                  

Mallory: 1, and I’m joining a second soon 

Q: Do you wish you were less/more involved?                               

D: Yes and no. I enjoy the activities I am in, but it can get overwhelming, and I rarely have free time.                                  

M: I do wish I was more involved. I think I would’ve made more friends and had more fun in high school If I had participated more. I think I would’ve been happier with myself if I had went out of my comfort zone and joined more things.  

Q: Do you feel a lot of pressure to be involved?  

D: Kind of. I think most of the pressure comes from myself. I feel like I have to be involved to make friends.  

M: I think the school encourages participation, but they do not really put pressure on students. I think I put pressure on myself to get involved in things.  

Q: How do you think extracurricular activities affect students, for better and for worse? 

D: I think it’s mostly for the better. My involvement has made me a more outgoing person, and I’m no longer afraid to put myself out there. I’ve made so many friends through the activities I participate in. 

M: I think it’s good for letting students become more social and make friends, and you can meet friends that you wouldn’t know otherwise. It can also help freshman who are nervous about starting high school find people to talk to. On the other hand, too much involvement might get overwhelming and cause more anxiety in students.