Extracurricular activities vital for well-rounded students

When I was asked to write an article for the newspaper on behalf of Chase County Schools, I was automatically excited about the opportunity to discuss the activities side of our curriculum with everyone.
At Chase County, our extracurricular activities are a very big part of how our students learn and grow. These activities form a highly effective union with our academic curriculum to help Chase County produce students who are versatile and well prepared for the challenges that lie ahead of them in life.
In the following paragraphs, I would like to outline some of the things that I believe are the most essential benefits of our school’s extracurricular activities.
At Chase County Schools, our activities across the board have enjoyed a great deal of recent success. We have seen conference, district and state championships, superior ratings and qualification into state tournaments and playoffs. As a matter of fact, one group of dedicated and determined Longhorn students even brought home a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in parliamentary procedure this past fall.
Our coaches and sponsors work tirelessly to afford our students the opportunities that come from participating in these activities. I think that we as a school have a strong understanding of how influential the experiences gained in these activities can be in boosting our academics and the overall success of our school.
We don’t have to dig very deep in order to extol all of the benefits of participation in extracurricular activities. The development of a strong work ethic, the discipline required to finish a task, cooperation and teamwork and the building of lifelong relationships are just a few examples from the litany of things to be gained from extracurricular activities.
Personally, most of my closest friends are people who I have either competed with or against during school activities. It is in this relationship piece that we find what is truly important about these activities.
When most of us reflect on the times and experiences of those activities that took place many years ago, the results and outcomes are mostly forgotten. It is, instead, the relationships and camaraderie developed during those times that we always come back to. Therefore, as we are participating, coaching or simply cheering for our students as they compete, we need to always keep in mind which parts of these experiences will actually matter in the years down the road.
So, as coaches and sponsors, what is the ultimate goal for our programs?
When I was a kid, on many fall Saturdays my dad would take me to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. As I would take in all of the sights and sounds of a Husker football game day, I would often read the inscription above the entrance to the stadium: “Not the victory by the action, not the goal but the game; in the deed the glory.”
Although these words were inscribed on the stadium gates all the way back in 1923, it is noteworthy how often we forget what those words are really saying. Although we all prefer to win and be successful, our true success cannot be measured in games or contests won, or by the awards and trophies that we gain from them. The true rewards lie in the process, not the outcome. The experiences, lessons, failures and breakthroughs that occur along the path to competition are what truly shape us and prepare us for life.
Therefore, we at Chase County Schools will continue to strive for excellence in both our academics and our activities. We will certainly compete to win, but more importantly, we will strive to maximize the lessons and experiences that will give our students the resilience and confidence needed to be winners beyond their days here at CCS!