In most teens’ lives adults push extracurricular activities as ways to keep us out of trouble and help us develop into adulthood. Many of us teenagers enjoy getting involved in things, but sometimes our extracurricular activities are so competitive there may be no room for us.

In junior high, as kids go through their awkward transition from child to teenager, there are opportunities for participation in a smaller, less competitive environment. Students are encouraged to join sports teams, clubs, and ASB with simple participation the goal. Sophomore year we teenagers enter as new students into large high schools and are often overwhelmed and intimidated. In this intense atmosphere of hundreds of teens, getting involved is significantly more difficult. I know from experience. I applied to be on ASB, the school newspaper and to a committee to welcome new students, but there was no room for me in any of these places. Discouraged, I decided to change focus and apply for a job and to become a member of a few of the many clubs offered at my school. I encourage other students who are lost in the stream of our busy and competitive society to do the same. Our community offers art classes at the art gallery in Kirkland, cooking classes at Sur la Table, dance classes at the Kirkland Dance Center and soccer teams at the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association, all of which are open to everyone! Sometimes it’s not that students don’t want to be involved in their school and community, but often they are just turned away one too many times and therefore give up. Instead of giving up, teens should explore other options to find their niche.

Kirkland resident Sara Anderson is a junior at Inglemoor High School.