The importance of co-curricular involvement for students

Nikki Townsend Dean of Students

The importance

of co-curricular involvement for students

SUNATA 52

Co-curricular activities are non-academic programs that contribute and complement the academic curriculum. The camps, service learning, sport, music, and global exchange programs combine with St Margaret’s pastoral care days to play a very significant role in reinforcing students’ overall development by fostering the necessary qualities and skills that enhance their understanding levels and academic learning capabilities. St Margaret’s is committed to establishing the educational foundation for young women to contribute confidently to their world with intuition, imagination, and integrity. The school is known for a culture of learning that extends beyond academic domains, offering a diverse range of co-curricular activities that provide challenges outside the classroom and enable students to strengthen their minds and bodies and develop commitment and determination. Involvement in co-curricular activities develops students’ talents and abilities, their understanding of responsible participation, and inspires contribution to a greater purpose. There are five key components to St Margaret’s co-curricular program that underpin the school’s aspiration of enriched learning, the intent and the guiding principles of which foster the development of a person with good character. The school aims to prepare our students to be confident, capable, and compassionate young women, and this mission is supported by our co-curricular programs. These five components are very much inter-related.

1. Courage and resilience

Through co-curricular involvement, students have the opportunity to strengthen existing talents and find their passion, which in turn builds confidence and self-esteem. When students feel confident in a supported environment, they are more prepared to step out of their comfort zone and take risks. The more exposure students have to feeling a little uncomfortable with the unknown, the more they will develop the courage to try new things. When stepping out of their comfort zone, students may experience the fear of failure. For example, failure could mean that the student has not been selected for their desired team, club, or group. The student may feel devastated by this outcome. However, through failure, students can learn the most valuable lessons about themselves, such as learning to cope with disappointment and the importance of being able to bounce back with determination and commitment (Crimson 2022).

2. Service to others

more just world. Students are provided with the opportunity to lead initiatives that have a positive impact on other people and, more broadly, society. They come to understand the importance of giving back, becoming active citizens who engage meaningfully with the community. Providing service to others inspires a student’s contribution to a greater purpose. Students can gain a better understanding of themselves and others as they explore and develop ways to contribute to their communities. The OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) suggests that ‘reinforcing global competence is vital for individuals to thrive in a rapidly changing world and for societies to progress without leaving anyone behind’ (PISA 2022).

3. Emotional and intellectual intelligence

In conjunction with the academic program, whether it be through the sport, music, drama, or service programs, or the various clubs and activities offered at the school, St Margaret’s is facilitating the development of students’ intellectual and emotional intelligence. Ryan (2022) says research suggests that ‘students who manage their own emotions and manage the emotions of others effectively appear to be able to focus on learning, have a positive attitude towards learning, make an effort to learn, and perform better’. A person’s ability to perceive, control, evaluate, and express emotions is vitally important, particularly when they are working in a team situation. Having knowledge of the world,

visual processing, working memory, and reasoning are also equally important attributes required to assist individuals to navigate a successful and meaningful life.

4. 21st century life skills

Twenty-first century skills are more important to students now than ever before. They not only provide a framework for successful learning in the classroom, but they ensure students can thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops (Ross 2017). These skills are also enormously important for our nation and global future. St Margaret’s cocurricular activities provide varied opportunities for students to enhance their critical and creative thinking; gain the skills to engage effectively with the community; demonstrate initiative and communication; learn skills around team dynamics and collaboration; and embrace and promote inclusion and grow their awareness of diversity. These are all considered life skills for the future and are most definitely transferrable from the classroom into the workplace.

5. Leadership

St Margaret’s is committed to creating female leaders of today and tomorrow, knowing full well that women in leadership have a positive impact. The Rockefeller Foundation (2022) reports that currently ‘there is an appetite and readiness to change workplace cultures contributing to gender inequalities’, stating that women hold just four per cent of leadership positions in the workplace. The school’s co-curricular program provides many opportunities for the girls to take responsibility and sit in positions of leadership. Many of these roles are formally recognised, but leadership in many forms is encouraged and acknowledged through the co-curricular program. Engaging in the life of the school community supports the successful development of a student as a lifelong learner and as a positive participant in the wider civic life of the community. The co-curricular program provides students with the motivation, skills, and confidence they need to confront the many complex challenges they may face in their lives today and as the leaders of tomorrow. Girls are prepared for leadership throughout their school life by participating in co-curricular activities, enhancing their growth in awareness, self-esteem, and responsibility. All co-curricular activities aim to foster essential leadership qualities and skills, including self-awareness, responsibility, motivation, empathy, active listening, courage, honesty, integrity, confidence, respect, innovation, creativity, resilience, and ethical behaviour. These are the values that relate to all aspects of a contemporary education for young women. St Margaret’s acknowledges that in the world in which we live and work, there is now more than ever a need for courageous and moral female leadership. It should be noted that co-curricular activities have many additional values for the girls to strengthen their mind and body. They provide an opportunity for students to put down their devices and have fun. With anxiety a very real concern for girls’ schools today, the neurological benefits derived from these activities, such as promoting oxytocin secretion, which improves a person’s mood, and reducing cortisol, which reduces anxiety, can only help girls to perform to their best. In conclusion, research suggests that students who participate in co-curricular activities show better academic results, have a stronger sense of belonging and connection to community, and are more likely to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Student wellbeing through co-curricular engagement and academic performance are intrinsically linked. The goals of St Margaret’s co-curricular program are to support students’ wholistic education. A person of good character learns skills through the co-curriculum that are transferable into the classroom and beyond the school gates. Through immersive experiences within the classroom and beyond, St Margaret’s is assisting students to test the unfamiliar and step out of their comfort zone without the fear of failure; subsequently their lives will be enriched by these offerings. The school is tracking our students’ involvement in cocurricular activities through our award-winning St Margaret’s Plus Program, which identifies the skills they are obtaining through their participation at school. Interestingly, Crimson (2022) suggests: ‘Co-curriculars are a critical part of your university application. They demonstrate who you are outside of the classroom and provide an opportunity to showcase your leadership skills and community involvement.’ St Margaret’s is encouraging our students to build their extracurricular profile over their secondary schooling years, which is tracked through St Margaret’s Plus. It is vital for students to think strategically about how they can enhance their candidacy for not only university but for their future careers.

References

Crimson Education 2022, Top 8 Benefits of Extracurricular activities for High School Students, viewed 3 March 2022, https:// www.crimsoneducation.org/au/blog/extracurriculars/benefits-ofextracurricular-activities/ PISA 2022, Preparing our youth for an inclusive sustainable world – The OECD PISA global competence framework, viewed 8 March 2022, https://www.oecd.org/education/Global-competency-for-aninclusive-world.pdf The Rockefeller Foundation 2022, Women in Leadership: Why it Matters, viewed 10 March 2022, https://www.rockefellerfoundation. org/wp-content/uploads/Women-in-Leadership-Why-It-Matters.pdf Ross D 2017, Empowering our Students with 21st-Century Skills for Today, Getting Smart, viewed 3 March 2022, https://www. gettingsmart.com/2017/04/24/empowering-students-21st-centuryskills/ https://rune.une.edu.au/web/bitstream/1959.11/16879/7/open/ SOURCE04.pdf Ryan, C 2014, Emotional Intelligence and Learning: Background to the study, viewed 5 March 2022, https://rune.une.edu.au/web/ bitstream/1959.11/16879/7/open/SOURCE04.pdf SUNATA 53