All high school students need to stay active and engaged in our community throughout the year. It is crucial for teenagers to stay well-rounded as well as develop teamwork skills. But do students really need to fulfill three co-curricular requirements with two team options for Form 3 and Form 4 and one team option for Form 5 and Form 6 throughout the year? While a recovery option is available for Form 5 and 6, it would be helpful to have the freedom to choose how they would like to spend their time after academics throughout each entire year. There are many other activities that students could participate in instead of sports that could be beneficial to their learning and development. Extracurricular activities in addition to sports and the co-curriculars supplied by KO have become increasingly important in the college process, and with time being taken up by sports games and practices, it is difficult to find the time to do even more. On top of all of the work that students have to do, it can be stressful and immensely difficult to try and do even more.
Many teenagers want to try and find out what they are interested in and what they could possibly want to accomplish in their futures. Trying out activities after school or on the weekends and getting into hobbies or courses on their own could be beneficial to help students find what they want to do as they grow up, as well as to find out what they would not enjoy doing as they get older. This could be critical for students to be able to enjoy what they do in the future. But, it is difficult for students to find the time to do so when many of them have practice every afternoon and games on the weekends, or need to do their other co-curricular activities.
Although the practices, games, and other activities may not seem to take up too much time, they take up a significant amount of energy from students. After a long day at school, having more to do afterward can make students feel even more exhausted and overwhelmed, so doing more afterward is difficult. That is why most students after their day at school usually only have time to do their homework and go to sleep, instead of exploring their interests and hobbies.
Staying active and in the community as a teen is important, but students are not abnormal for not doing a sport or co-curricular for a season. It could be beneficial to have the extra time to themselves. Also, being able to work out on their own as well as have the time to do what interests them could be very beneficial to student growth. It is important to have a sports requirement at Kingswood Oxford because it builds our community as well as develops our team skills and sportsmanship, but needing to fulfill three requirements and just a single potential recovery season is a lot to ask for.
Growing up, many teenagers want to make money or experience having a job. Being able to have more free time during the week and on the weekends could allow students to experience what working has to offer and what they could possibly consider working in as they grow older. This could also allow students to meet other students from other schools, allowing students to branch out and feel more connected to their community. Being able to connect with others outside the Kingswood Oxford community is important for students to reach new perspectives and improve socially. Students may feel confined to their Kingswood Oxford community, and although KO pride is important, it is great to be able to bond with others in the community outside KO. Bringing other perspectives back to our own community could be valuable. Working also develops teamwork just like team sports do. Having a community and discussing shifts as well as sorting out issues on the job can build students’ character, confidence, and leadership skills.
Students also need to accomplish community service throughout their years at Kingswood Oxford. Having extra time to be able to do more community service and acts of kindness towards people in need would be incredibly beneficial. Students need more time to focus on not just our community pride, but also the community that is in need of help. Although keeping fitness in our lives is important for our health, having time to devote to those who are not as lucky as us is crucial.
Sports are extremely important to people who want to do them in college or professionally in the future. But for others, it may not be quite as important, and although helping with their health and fitness, there are other ways they could spend their time while also keeping active. I do believe that it is important for students to fulfill a sports requirement, but allowing students more leniency to exercise independently could significantly benefit our community.
Overall, the fitness and health of our student body is immensely important. But there is more to accomplish outside of KO, and having time to be able to branch out and experience the world outside of school could benefit our community significantly.
