Less than 40 percent of Wilde Lake students are involved in clubs and sports, according to the latest Gallup Poll. Despite the benefits of extracurriculars, Wilde Lake’s involvement is low. I would like to encourage the rest of you, the other 60 percent, to get involved.

In school, some of your decisions are made for you by teachers and administrators, but ultimately you’re the one in charge of deciding how you’re going to spend your time. Instead of wasting that time, take charge and do what you love.

Extracurricular activities help you to grow, to make friends, and to develop your interests and passions. Often times, people learn who they are and what they want to do as a career through participation in extracurricular activities.

Rather than sitting around and complaining about how you don’t like something at Wilde LAKe, get involved and change it. 

Many students do not want to play sports because they claim that Wilde Lake is bad at sports. If you personally are good at sports,      then make Wilde Lake’s sports teams better by playing and helping the teams win games.

Maybe you’re afraid that you won’t make the team, but you’ll never know until you try. You can’t miss a good opportunity just   because you are scared.

And sports aren’t your only option.

There are clubs available for any interest. If you like organizing or planning things, you should join class council or SGA. If you care about the environment, you can join environmental club. If you enjoy riding horses, you can join the equestrian club. There is a club in this school for everyone, so nothing is holding you back except yourself.

There are many different activities you can join but you have to take the initiative.

Students have many different excuses about why they aren’t involved: ‘I don’t know when my class meetings are,’ ‘I am too busy,’ ‘my voice isn’t heard,’ and much more. If you don’t have time for extracurricular activities, talk to your parents, or whoever is in charge of what you do, and see if your schedule can be rearranged. As long you try, your voice will be heard. And many clubs meet during Wilde Cat time every other Wednesday. There are ways for you to be involved, you just have to ask.

There is an old saying that “too many cooks spoil the broth,” which means that too many people involved in something can ruin it. But in high school, it’s the exact opposite. You want to be as involved as you can.

You only have a limited time here, so get involved. Don’t miss opportunities. In the future, when I look back at high school, I want to be able to say “I remember when I …” and not “I wish I had ….”