The Importance of Extracurricular Activities Imagine walking across the stage in a few years. Having thousands of eyes on you as you take that emotional walk to finally receive your high school diploma. After a few years, when you graduate from high school and start life, you will look back and think, what have I accomplished so far? Extracurricular activities can be very beneficial for students now and for future students as well. They can make you feel like you accomplished something while you were in school. Extracurricular activities are important because they can benefit a student through personal, educational, and even social means. It is a great idea to get more students involved in extracurricular activities and parents should start giving their children a little push to get them more involved. Extracurricular activities can greatly benefit students through their personal lives and well-being. According to Justin Coulson in his article on kidspot.com, students involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports or clubs, are generally healthier than those who do not participate. Extracurricular activities can help increase students' self-esteem and self-awareness, as stated by Joy Burgess in her article "Extracurricular School Activities and Benefits" on more4kids.info. Being involved allows the student to learn the skills and talents they already have and teach new ones such as time management, organization and prioritization skills. It also allows students to realize what they are good at or what they like to do (Burgess). As similarly described by College Board staff on collegeboard.org, extracurricular activities can allow you to learn about your personal talents, interests, ... halfway through ... getting involved in extracurricular activities in high school. " Everyday Life. Global Mail, 2014. Web. February 04, 2014. O'brien, Eileen, and Mary Rollefson. “Extracurricular Participation and Student Involvement.” Extracurricular Participation and Student Involvement. U.S. Department of Education, June 1995 . Web. 06 February 2014. Pappas, Stephanie. “Employed children: concerns about overscheduling overrated.” LiveScience. 10 April 2011. Web. 13 March 2014. Rizzolo, Allison , art, clubs, volunteering: extracurricular activities play a crucial and positive role for children." Survey: sports, art, associations, volunteering: extracurricular activities play a crucial and positive role for children. Public Agenda, 16 November 2004 Web. March 5, 2014 WNCN Staff. “The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities.” WNCN News and Weather. Web. February 11. 2014.