You wake up, go to school, go home, do your homework, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. Oftentimes, school can feel like a tiring cycle of work and boredom that sucks you deep into the vortex of suffering. You probably don’t want to go to school and you do poorly in class. You don’t really know anyone that well, and you stick to yourself. One day, you read a sign for a new club coming to your school. You’re nervous, but you show up to the first meeting. After introductions, you realize that these same people share many of the same interests as you and are actually very interesting! After attending more meetings, life spruces up for you. You actually look forward to school and you have friends that you can talk with.
Many high schools offer extracurriculars to appeal to different student interests. Marian presents a wide variety of options, from your athletics, like football and track, fine arts, like band and art, and other activities, like robotics and Generation Green. One thing that makes Marian special is its deep interconnected community that runs through generations. Marian’s wide variety of extracurriculars constantly grows to accommodate student interests and broaden its communities.
Ms. Lamb, the Director of Student Activities, helps to manage our clubs. Her position means that she is in charge of all extracurriculars that aren’t sports. She manages club activities, answers any questions they have, and approves requests, like fun field trips. When asked about the value of extracurricular activities, she says that it really allows students to explore different interests and find other like minded people. She believes that extracurriculars can bond students together into a community this way. One of her favorite clubs, is the very unique cooking club, which is supervised by Mr. Filipiak. She is very supportive of student involvement and is a big fan of the Marian band. As a final comment, she wants any readers to know that if there’s a club that you want to see at Marian, to let her know in room 213 (office) or 215 (class).
One of Marian’s more unique and specialized-interest clubs is Dungeons and Dragons, which is hosted by Ms. O’Brien. When asked about the origin of the club, Ms. O’Brien said that two years ago, in her first year at Marian, some of her students came up to her and said that they heard that she did D&D and wanted it to be a club here. Although only a few people came out last year, she loves the student leadership. She describes it as a “collaboration” that can bond us together. She wants it to be a space for people who enjoy fantasy, sci fi, and video gaming. The storytelling element allows everyone to be creative and feel included. She is really excited this year as more people are coming out for D&D.
Marian’s athletic program demonstrates strong discipline and sportsmanship. Many of our athletes go on to compete at a collegiate and professional level. According to the Marian athletics page, athletes “graduate with lifelong friendships and a stronger character”. Sports include football, baseball, cross country, esports, track, basketball, and more! A special thing about the athletics program is that Marian is one of the few schools in the area to boast a fencing team and is the only one in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Marian also is proud to have an extremely competitive fine arts program with a reputation for excellence. The Marian Catholic band is highly regarded nationwide and has won many accolades on the local to national level. We also have a competitive speech program that often takes events to state. Our theatre and choral ensembles always put on amazing performances and bring us together.
Marian also has multiple identity organizations. For example, the Black Student Union and Hispanic Student Coalition always put on great events and help enrich/impact our community, allowing us to reconnect with culture and meet other students and support. Our mental health club recently hung up reaffirming notes around the school that help remind us to take care of ourselves.
But what does this all mean? According to a study by College Board, using data from more than 480,000 high school student SAT scores, students who participated in extracurriculars scored 53 points higher on the verbal section of the test and 45 points on the mathematics part. Extracurriculars at Marian help you gain friends, manage your time, and build discipline. Most importantly, in connection to our Dominican theme this year, they bring us together as a community.