Boys and Girls of Fall

Beginning of extracurricular activities always marks the start of school. As long as I can remember, I have either been playing sports, coaching sports, or watching sports. I can still recognize that certain “Smell in the air” that lets me know the fall sports season is upon us. The fall sports season is such a rite of passage for so many American youth it is a valuable piece of Americana.

Think about all the young people involved in just a football game night at Ardmore High School. We have the football team, band, and cheerleaders that are the active participants and many of our students are there to cheer on their peers. I don’t know what percentage of the student body will be in the stadium on opening night but I would say the number would be quite large. This doesn’t count the volleyball games and cross country meets which occur through the week and on the weekends.

Research has shown, and people have known for years without doing research, that students involved in school activities enjoy school more, perform at a higher level, and are less likely to drop out. I encourage all of our students to become involved even if it is as a fan cheering on the other students. These activities make school more palatable for those with the inclination to not enjoy school and give us all something to look forward to that can break the monotony that many times sets in for students.

As the year passes by, we will have many more activities in which students may participate. Some of these activities are sports related and some are not, but we want everyone to be able to find their niche so they can have a wholesome activity to enjoy. We don’t have as many activities as we would like due to a multitude of factors, but hopefully we can continue to add activities until everyone finds something to enjoy.