I want to give a "shout out" to all our activity coaches and sponsors for their hard work with students outside of the regular school day.  Along with that I want to thank parents for going the extra mile to ensure your child participates in some activity here at ELC High School.  It is a known fact that those who participate are more successful as students, as well as, learn skills that help them latter in life.  Below is a snip from an article showing the relationship between extracurricular activities and student success.

Is participation in extracurricular activities related to students' success in school?

Indicators of successful participation in school include consistent attendance, academic achievement, and aspirations for continuing education beyond high school. Extracurricular participation(1) was positively associated with each of these success indicators among public high school seniors in 1992 (table 1). During the first semester of their senior year, participants reported better attendance than their non-participating classmates--half of them had no unexcused absences from school and half had never skipped a class, compared with one-third and two-fifths of nonparticipants, respectively. Students who participated were three times as likely to perform in the top quartile on a composite math and reading assessment compared with nonparticipants. Participants were also more likely than nonparticipants to aspire to higher education: two-thirds of participants expected to complete at least a bachelor's degree while about half of nonparticipants expected to do so. It cannot be known from these data, however, whether participation leads to success, successful students are more inclined to participate, or both occur.

Table 1. Percentage of public school seniors reporting selected indicators of school success by participation and nonparticipation in extracurricular activities, 1992

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                                                         Non-
Indicators                            Participants    participants
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No unex. absences*                      50.4             36.2
Never skipped classes*                  50.7             42.3
Have a GPA of 3.0 or above              30.6             10.8
Highest quartile on a math and
reading assessment                      29.8             14.2
Expect to earn bachelor's degree
or higher                               68.2             48.2