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We don’t often think about it, but high school extracurriculars can be factors in the systemic cycle of poverty and wealth distribution. Extracurriculars should be about students, what they enjoy, and the community they are able to build, but there remains exaggerated amounts of pressure on these activities to afford us a ticket into colleges, careers, and the rest of our lives. Our seminar teachers seem to ignore how extracurriculars cost seas of time, stress, and money, which not everyone can afford.
This year, I decided to join speech and debate and have spent the entire year spending weekends at shiny schools with towering ceilings among upperclassmen competing for college attention.
My second event was at a gorgeous campus with a relatively diverse group of people. However, my own category held only four others- all white, upperclassman boys who carried exaggerated amounts of privilege and confidence, leading me to think about the inaccessibility of extracurricular activities.
While our school prides its Speech and Debate team for their nonexistent financial requirements, some high schools charge hundreds of dollars for their students so that they can get professional training, luxury transportation, and often classes on the subject. While Roosevelt has incredibly talented students, clear obstacles remain in our way.
It’s no secret that schools with more money have more access to varieties of success and education for their students. They can have a wider array of teachers available to teach a diverse range of classes and topics, while also being available to lead an extracurricular. High schools with more funding are able to provide more necessary financial aid for their activities, which leads to more scholarships being awarded to the many more students able to participate.
While tournaments and competitions for some activities such as theater may be optional, they remain the surest way to be accepted into art schools or successfully apply for scholarships. Athletics provide great options for scholarships (approximately 150,000 are given in the US annually)- but it costs around two hundred dollars for a seasonal entry fee, not to mention the intense practice schedules.
If a student has work or family to care for, it would be incredibly difficult to participate in one of these sports. If a student is hoping to get a scholarship through achievement at a theater or band competition, the initial cost can be discouraging and/or intimidating, despite the financial aid available. Plus, many people are simply too busy to add another stress and commitment to their plate.
When the pressure of college and career looms, many students are aware of this question: How can one expect to pay and save for their future while their present is already being pulled in so many costly directions? This is reflected in the district with various budget cuts occurring recently, not only affecting educational quality, but also the accessibility of said learning. Increased financial strain in the district leads to more extreme entry fees placed on students.
“... It's always been from the very, very get go that my goal has been to make sure that no student feels like they can't do something because of finances.” I hear our theatre arts teacher, Ms. Lane’s perspective repeated throughout Roosevelt, and while this is ideal and often accomplished with self-sustaining programs, it’s not the norm.
Extracurriculars achieve funding with many different tactics. Some programs rely on student volunteers selling pompoms and concessions at football games, while others spend more time using programs like SnapRaise, and still others depend on the district for financial allotments. Extracurriculars provide many other opportunities to foster community, probably one of the best ways to do so in high school.
This is clearly shown when students were asked about the best part of their extracurricular: “The people are just really nice. It's a very welcoming community.” “My favorite thing is just being around, like in this community who is super fun.” “I mean.. you know, the community and like the act of doing it it's all very self fulfilling.” “My favorite part is probably just meeting all the new people and making all new friends and just the community it builds”
Balancing social connections, grades, and passions, while also prioritizing your own wellbeing is incredibly important but also ironically adds another stress. Yet another problem arises if a family would rather spend money on an actual college education than its implied requirements. Unfortunately we’re not primed to respond to all of these different issues in class, only the threat of ignored potential and prospects. One student said, “I'd say that if I didn't have actually any extracurriculars, I'm pretty worried about myself.”
Teachers see the effects of this pressure on kids, and they’re encouraging colleges to reconsider their standards. “There needs to be a balance so that the students who are applying [to colleges] feel like they have the ability to get in without having to do 800 things. They can do a few things well and deeply and filled with meaning.” (Ms. Lane)
Extracurriculars should be a chance for students to explore, engage, and express themselves in ways that may lead to passionate interest, or even the spark of a career. We won’t achieve this unless we lessen the pressure to have extracurriculars and full schedules. This isn’t a problem Roosevelt can fix alone; it would require the work of the colleges and universities vying for our attention. This article isn’t meant to give our school a solution, because we all know it isn’t that simple, however it’s necessary that we know the flaws in our own community, so that we can begin to build and repair them.
By Vivian Ellis
Roosevelt High School
Published April 19, 2022
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