BY MADDY FURDEK
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Whenever I find myself on campus after school between 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., I often will see students hanging out on campus feeling like they don’t have anything to do.

While I understand that there are times students can’t get a ride home right away and need to wait, the problem goes beyond the average one-time student who is simply sitting on campus because they don’t have a ride. There is a plethora of extracurriculars at Roseville High School in which people, including me, are active participants. Throughout the school year there are sports to play, a multitude of clubs covering a wide array of interests, an after-school tutoring center for students who would like to get a little help in their classes and a library that remains open until 3:30 everyday which students can utilize for a quiet space to work on their homework until their ride comes.

Getting involved on campus might seem like the right thing to, and that’s because it is the right thing to do. There is little to no reason to opt out of getting involved when the only effect will be on your freetime.

Joining clubs, sports or other extracurriculars can expose you to a new group of people whom you may not have met in other circumstances. These people will obviously share a common interest as you and thus will make it easy to form new friendships. Knowing a wide array of people on campus helps to give you a heightened sense of appreciation for your peers whom you spend the entirety of your high school career with.

As a senior, I can assure you that having just a couple of extracurriculars on a college or job resume can make all the difference and you’ll be thankful come applications that you took the time to take part in these activities.

Being involved in a group with various perspectives, coming together to achieve a common goal will be the reality in most future careers– these groups in high school will reflect that.

There is also the opportunity to get ahead on your schoolwork or get help if needed. Many students don’t take advantage of these free chances to study in a quiet place or utilize a tutoring center on campus. Sometimes, just a little bit of extra work can go a long way in a challenging class and by spending your free time after school working on homework, you can get ahead and prepare yourself for success.

Besides having personal benefits, taking part in these extracurriculars are beneficial to RHS’ community as well. Your dedication to a club, sport or band could be a huge asset to their organization. By simply utilizing your block of free time after school to do something constructive and valuable, you could improve not only your grades, but also your presence on campus and your overall high school experience.

You have no idea the impact you are capable of having on campus. As a student at RHS, you are fortunate to have incredible staff who are willing to help you, friendly and outgoing peers who will welcome you with open arms to any club or sport and limitless opportunities to even start your own after-school activity if you wanted. In this year alone we have seen the creation of three new clubs and a new sports team on campus.

By utilizing this time and the opportunities at RHS, you can join or create an extracurricular activity to fill the void of time after school instead of simply playing on your phone, bored and waiting for a ride home. One of my biggest regrets in my high school career was my failure to recognize the limitless opportunities supplied by this school to make an impact on campus. So the next time you find yourself bored on campus after school, go pop into a club meeting, sit in at a team practice or spend a few minutes getting help on an assignment at the tutoring center. You never know what could come out of trying something new.