Although the academic part of school life is very important, no school would be complete without a large range of after-school activities. A student will make the most of their education if they are in an environment in which they feel safe – one which provides opportunities for them to develop all their abilities. Academic programmes are at the heart of any school but extra-curricular activities are also vitally important. Our school has a rich and successful tradition both on the sports field and in many other activities such as drama, music, social awareness and trips.
For several years COVID restricted activities and they were greatly missed. It is great to a full suite of events and trips happening again.
Extra Curricular Activities provide students with an opportunity to develop a wide variety of skills including:
From strengthening the mind to encouraging better time management skills, extracurricular activities can help students succeed in much more than just their academic endeavours. Sports, for example, train students to maintain patience and resilience in the face of difficulty. These activities can also work to build professional skills that a classroom alone cannot always foster. A debate or speech club offers additional public speaking practice for students, which further builds upon oral presentation skills from class work. Sports, of course, provide excellent opportunities for team-building skills and training students to focus on long-term goals. Such a myriad of skills are invaluable when entering Third Level Education and indeed the workplace. Extracurricular activities are also fun and offer students the opportunity to spend time with others of similar interests. Students can meet friends from different social groups by membership in such activities.
Ironically, many students find that adding more commitments to their already coursework-filled schedules has the effect of improving time management. The student who is busy with coursework but also needs to balance other extracurricular activities is more likely to plan out time dedicated to each activity and less likely to procrastinate during downtimes. An extracurricular activity might even have the effect of “recharging” the brain after a day of rigorous schoolwork, allowing students to return to homework assignments with a refreshed mind.Such opportunities also allow students to follow interests outside of a standardized academic context. Students can also use these activities to explore interests they’ve never encountered, exposing students to a more diverse range of interests.
There is something for everybody, and we encourage students to participate fully in school life. Not everybody is sporty or in a position to make it on to school teams but may enjoy participating in the in-school leagues and non-sporting activities. The pioneer club is the biggest club in the school with over 90% of the first years involved each year. Students have been part of the green schools programme in their primary schools and should get involved here. There is also choir and chess club to name but a few.
