Most of us chipped in and participated in high school sports, music or art programs before we graduated and set foot in the “real world”. Whether you were behind the scenes for your drama club’s annual production or out on the field for the Friday night football game, you were a part of something. Something big. Something that taught you invaluable lessons, healthy habits and the value of forging friendships in a way you never would have learned anywhere else.

These programs are taking a hard hit as school budgets continue to be cut, and our kids are paying for it in the loss of these amazingly valuable experiences. High school sports and other extra-curricular activities are teaching our kids to:

a) Stay healthy. Sports encourage healthy eating and exercise habits to stay fit out on the field.

b) Work as a team. When you and you alone are not the sole deciding factor in the success of any endeavor, you learn the value of teamwork. This is a skill they’re going to need when they step out of the classroom and into the workforce.

c) Compromise. The best-laid plans of mice and men still have the potential to fail horribly. Plans change, ideas are altered, intentions move to achieve a goal within the designated time frame. Being a part of something teaches compromise.

d) Win. As part of a team we learn to work harder, reach farther and run faster to achieve our goals. In short, you learn what it takes to win…

e) Lose. …but you can’t win them all. Learning to compete at a young age teaches our children how to lose with grace, keep trying and come back fighting harder the next time.

f) Work with their differences. It takes all kinds to keep the world going ‘round, and chances are you went to high school with almost all of them! Learning to set aside their differences and work together rather than allowing those distances to drive them away from their goals is a vital part of the high school experience, and one every child should have before they don that cap and gown and walk across the stage to accept the diploma that marks the entrance into the outside world.