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Christian school extracurriculars: holistic development beyond academics
Nobody denies the importance of academics. Each content area has practical applications that play a role in a student’s development and future career. As important as these subjects are and as engaging as they can be for some students, a well-rounded student pairs academic pursuits with extracurricular endeavors. There’s so much more to a child and adolescent’s development than what the general education classroom can offer. Sometimes a student needs to play a sport, build a robot, craft a work of art, or perform on stage whether through singing, acting, or playing an instrument. This, and much more, is where extracurricular activities come in.
The average high school provides extracurricular activities that allow students to try out new skills that they may want to pursue further or express themselves through skills they already know they’re passionate about, and Eastern Christian is no exception. EC offers plenty of the usual extracurriculars like sports, theater, robotics, Model UN, etc., and while many of them happen outside of the regular school day, according to HS principal Dan Cirone, “Some extracurriculars live within the school day, but are still outside of the curriculum.” This is due to some of them being a part of usual classes, but some are thanks to EC’s SOAR system, a brief, 40-minute session where students can do all of the usual activities that extracurriculars offer, and so much more. SOAR stands for Student Opted Academic Resources. A long-standing tradition at Eastern Christian, SOARs provide leadership opportunities for students, an opportunity to focus on individual passions, and a time for community. The activities vary. For example, there’s pre-Healthcare club, Korean club, hiking, Bible studies, art club, online content creation, math help, video production, gardening, dancing with EC’s dance group DWAP (Dance with a Purpose), and several others.
Like many high schools, EC offers plenty of sports, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, bowling, and lacrosse. Something Cirone brings up is how EC extracurriculars sets itself apart from other schools by looking at and analyzing things through a Christian lens. They won’t just be practicing drills and playing hard through games, “They’re going to be praying together and talking about what the wins and losses mean from a Christian perspective.” Sports are a great way to teach and demonstrate Christian ideals like community, hard work, and sacrifice for your fellow man or woman.
Another popular extracurricular activity at EC is its theater program. This past fall, newcomer drama director and EC alumna Addie Peretti and the talented actors and tech team put on their production of Witness for the Prosecution (pictured), and for the Spring musical, will be putting on a production of Mary Poppins. Anyone is welcome to audition and sign up for the tech team, regardless of previous experience. Tech teams are also needed for weekly chapel programs, which is another outlet for student musicians, who serve on the worship band.
Extracurriculars have the potential to allow students to showcase who they really are as people, the people God made them to be. In fact, it could even improve the academic performance of many students as these activities provide incentive for them to return to school each day and get more involved in the community. As MS principal Dan Lazor puts it, “You have something to look forward to, you’re engaged in the school and the community in a different way.” Some activities even have a rule in place where if you’re failing one or more of your classes, you won’t be allowed to participate, but even without that rule, students should still feel a stronger sense of connection with their teachers and each other through these activities. It also helps that many of the teachers help coach many of these teams or lead these clubs. Above all else, extracurricular activities offer a chance for students’ faith to shine and biblical lessons to be talked about and integrated. Whether that be through kicking a ball into a goal, memorizing lines, or building a robot, there is plenty of development and value to be found in Christian education beyond academics.
