Student Social Engagements Can Also Improve School Morale

On average, high school students are involved in eight extracurricular activities. These students are engaged in their school and also have increased attention and focus on their studies. They also have more school spirit and excitement about attending events and getting involved in extracurricular activities and student organizations.

In a recent Harris Poll online survey of high school students, parents and principals, about 1,500 individuals were asked about their school pride, academics, self-esteem and community involvement. The researchers collected the data to discover how school spirit is connected to the way high school students learn, lead and grow and concluded these three findings.

1. In addition to showing support for their school, high school students with school spirit perform better academically, are more engaged in social and civic matters, and are happier in general than their less-spirited peers.
2. Principals overwhelmingly believe it is important that they personally build school spirit at their school (89%) and that higher levels of school spirit is tied to higher student achievement.
3. 51 percent of students who are involved in extracurricular activities said they do so that they can be involved in their school. Additionally, 34 percent said getting involved is a way to show their school spirit.

Of all the administrators, teachers, and support staff surveyed, nearly all agreed that having a school culture centered upon planning opportunities for students to be engaged makes a huge difference in how school spirit is displayed by students. Additionally, students who work hard and stay engaged deserve to be recognized and viewed favorably.

Common Types of Extracurricular Activities Available to High Schoolers

Creating a school community where students want to be involved takes a lot of work and planning from a team of educators, parents and coaches. Some common types of extracurricular activities for high school students may include:

1. Student Government
2. Academic Teams and Clubs
3. The Debate Team
4. The Arts
5. Internships
6. Culture Clubs
7. Volunteer Work and Community Service
8. The Student Newspaper
9. A Part-time Job
10. Athletics

These social engagements also create friendships with other students and build trust in academic staff, and keeps clubs, athletics and special events filled with people and pride. And while implementing the programs may feel fun for schools to create, tracking the effectiveness of these efforts and helping to manage a student’s extracurricular engagement portfolio shouldn’t feel any different.

Start Tracking High School Student Activities Today

Total Student is a digital tool available on desktops and mobile devices, designed to help high schools to plan, organize, track and report important student activities in one easy place. Using customized dashboards accessible by staff and students, opportunities are eliminated that would allow fraudulent extracurricular claims to be included in a student’s portfolio.

Contact us with your questions and request a FREE demo of Total Student software. Push your students and school spirit to the next level.