As a freshman, when I first got to Thousand Oaks High School (TOHS), I was completely overwhelmed by all the organizations and activities, and as someone who enjoys all my extracurriculars and has a busy schedule, I wanted to do everything. TO has so much to offer, and I found myself drawn to journalism, choir, ASB, the theater department, and the dance department. Along with exploring different clubs, I enjoy being involved in everything I can. Getting involved in activities is what I consider the most important aspect of high school. I can say that I’ve already evolved by being involved here at TO these past few months.
Being involved is the best way to enjoy your high school experience. You find interests you may not have otherwise known you enjoy. Or you meet friends you wouldn’t have bonded with in any other situation. All of that adds to the school experience because there’s so much more to it than just homework.
I think it’s truly beautiful how all my friends and I have so many interests and how we get to include them in what we do at school. Being involved at school is how you find your people, and who you surround yourself with can really make or break your high school experience.
Ultimately, friends are also an important aspect of any school experience. They are there to support you and help you navigate the highs and lows of school or any challenge that you face.
Once you’ve found your community, the next step is making sure that space is one where you feel genuinely safe and accepted. You have the power to curate your high school experience. Being part of a community can really lead to that feeling of safety and support on campus. Staying involved also makes the difficulties of high school and feeling lonely in general a lot easier to deal with.
According to Tim Hodges from Gallup, “Engagement is a measurement of how involved, enthusiastic, and committed one is to an organization.”
And from a more academic point of view: “Engaged students are 2.5 times more likely to say that they get excellent grades and do well in school, and they are 4.5 times more likely to be hopeful about the future than their actively disengaged peers.”
Take freshman Ava Dukakis. Dukakis is involved in ASB and is on the cheer team.
“I love feeling part of something. Obviously I’m only a quarter in to high school, but I know that through the years and looking back it will make my experience a lot more memorable,” Dukakis said. She didn’t wait to find her place; by joining the groups that interest her, she started off strongly and immediately built connections, noting, “You don’t have to have a lot of friends, but just by having those two close friends who you can always go to makes it really reassuring.”
Freshmen get to try everything, but as a senior looking back, it’s important to see where you started and what’s changed along the way.
“I love what I do because I get to meet so many new people who have all had a really good impact on my life. We get to make a really positive impact on campus,” said senior Tessa Whitman who is involved in the Greenhole, flag football, Unified Sports, and ASB. “I think the reason I’m so involved in so much at TO is because it creates such a positive energy and just overall increases the experience of high school.” Whitman ends with, “I think it’s really important that everyone here is able to express themselves because it creates this really great sense of love and kindness.”
If you’re not sure where to start, explore our school’s website (tohs.conejousd.org) and follow Instagram pages affiliated with TO sports or clubs. That way you can stay up to date with all things TOHS.
So get involved, find your people, and stay connected. That’s when you can give yourself the best chance to a high school experience that all students deserve.
