School is a place where students prepare themselves for adult lives both intellectually and emotionally. Of course, sports, arts and volunteering are the good ways to achieve the goal. But these means all deserve financial support from the school authority. When the funding is limited and only one of them can be funded, I would definitely go for sports.
First of all, this policy can bring numerous benefits to students. Everybody knows working out is good for both body and mind. During schooldays students have been used to a sedentary lifestyle, which has been linked with an increased risk of obesity and depression. But what if they are now encouraged to attend extracurricular activities like hockey, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, karate and so on? Besides being more energetic and athletic, they can also experience the joy of cooperation and competition. Plus, sports activities provide a temporary escape, enabling children to take their mind off study for a while and then go back to schoolwork refreshed. According a recent survey, kids who exercise 30 minutes a day five times a week, enjoy better overall brain health, reduced stress, increased creativity and clearer thinking.
And the school itself is another beneficiary. It is because athletics is a great way to draw attention to a school. When schools get attention, they also get funding. This can be a big deal for schools since private donors determines how much can be invested in scholarships, facilities, and paying top professors. Therefore, the more weight a school lays to its sports programs, the more potential athletic stars it will produce, and the more potential donors it will attract. Besides, notable alumni also lend their names to a school. Knowing that Michael Jordan went to Laney High School will encourage many other aspiring basketball players to apply there. This school will get to choose the most promising ones, thus continuing the legacy of its fame.
Sure, arts and volunteering do benefit students in their own way. Arts can promote students’ appreciation for beauty and volunteer jobs help children show more tolerance and empathy to people around. But the fact is, arts makes little sense unless it is comprehended based on a certain level of passion and interest. High schoolers who are normally drawn to pop cultures wouldn’t necessarily gain much from ancient paintings and sculptures. As for volunteering, community service has already covered such activities, which means schools can divert funds to more needed projects. So if the authority has to tighten its grip on funding the campus activities, arts and volunteering can be crossed off the priority list.
To sum up, I’m not saying arts and volunteering are less important, but with limited school funds, sports can be a more effective way to put that money into good use.
School
is a place where
students
prepare themselves for adult
lives
both
intellectually
and
emotionally
.
Of course
,
sports
,
arts
and
volunteering
are the
good
ways to achieve the goal.
But
these means all deserve financial support from the
school
authority. When the funding
is limited
and
only
one of them can
be funded
, I would definitely go for sports.
First of all
, this policy can bring numerous benefits to
students
. Everybody knows working out is
good
for both body and mind. During schooldays
students
have been
used
to a sedentary lifestyle, which has
been linked
with an increased
risk
of obesity and depression.
But
what if they are
now
encouraged to attend extracurricular
activities
like hockey, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, karate and
so
on?
Besides
being more energetic and athletic, they can
also
experience the joy of cooperation and competition. Plus,
sports
activities
provide a temporary escape, enabling children to take their mind off study for a while and then go back to schoolwork refreshed.
According a
recent survey, kids who exercise 30 minutes a day five times a week, enjoy better
overall
brain health,
reduced
stress
, increased creativity and clearer thinking.
And the
school
itself is another beneficiary. It is
because
athletics is a great way to draw attention to a
school
. When
schools
get
attention, they
also
get
funding. This can be a
big
deal for
schools
since private donors determines how much can
be invested
in scholarships, facilities, and paying top professors.
Therefore
, the more weight a
school
lays to its
sports
programs, the more potential athletic stars it will produce, and the more potential donors it will attract.
Besides
, notable alumni
also
lend their names to a
school
. Knowing that Michael Jordan went to
Laney
High
School
will encourage
many
other aspiring basketball players to apply there. This
school
will
get
to choose the most promising ones,
thus
continuing the legacy of its fame.
Sure,
arts
and
volunteering
do benefit
students
in their
own
way.
Arts
can promote
students’
appreciation for beauty and volunteer jobs
help
children
show
more tolerance and empathy to
people
around.
But
the fact is,
arts
makes
little
sense unless it
is comprehended
based on a certain level of passion and interest. High schoolers who are
normally
drawn to pop cultures wouldn’t
necessarily
gain much from ancient paintings and sculptures. As for
volunteering
, community service has already covered such
activities
, which means
schools
can divert funds to more needed projects.
So
if the authority
has to
tighten its grip on funding the campus
activities
,
arts
and
volunteering
can
be crossed
off the priority list.
To sum up, I’m not saying
arts
and
volunteering
are less
important
,
but
with limited
school
funds,
sports
can be a more effective way to put that money into
good
use
.