How a High School's Website Can Increase Student Involvement

Student involvement is a very important aspect of high school. With acceptance rates of colleges continuously declining, it is more difficult to get into schools than ever. This means that a high GPA and competitive test scores are no longer enough to get into top schools. Student involvement has become an essential part of the application process, and those in admission positions greatly factor extra curricular activities into their decision. Having an involved student body makes a school look good because it shows that the student's care about their education. Because of this, high schools strive to have an active student body, but are often searching for ways to do so. As a high school student, I have a very good idea about what students gravitate towards and what appeals to them. Here is how a high school’s website can increase student involvement. 

Having all extracurricular activities listed on a high school website provides students with easy access to these resources. Often times, students become overwhelmed by the wide range of activities and clubs they can join, which can push them away from joining anything at all. By putting these extracurriculars on the website, they are all in one place, and it becomes much less stressful for students to find information about them. Taking the extra step and to organize this list will make the process even easier, such as listing these activities in categories like clubs, sports, etc. 

Speaking of sports, it's very important to include your school's athletic programs on the website. Athletics are a huge part of high school, whether you're a fan or an athlete. Students can even receive scholarships through their high school athletic performance. By including information about all teams, clubs, and tryouts on the website, students can easily decide what appeals to them. This will also help encourage more students to sign up or tryout, even those who may otherwise have been too shy to talk to the coach in person.

Have Upcoming Events Headlined on the High School Website

A high school website featuring the upcoming school events is a great way to encourage students to attend them. From school dances to sports games to community service opportunities, there really is something for everyone. By having a calendar with each event described, students can decide what they are most interested in. This will maximize attendance to these events and greatly increase student involvement. 

Tip: Look for a website provider that allows for Calendar integration. That way, users can easily add the athletic calendar to the website without having to manually enter every event. Check out Edlio and discover all the features offered! 

At my school, an event we have on our calendar is “Club Day.” Club Day gives students in clubs a chance to encourage other students to join.The event lasts two days, and takes place during lunch. On the first day, interest-based clubs, can request tables to be displayed throughout the school. On the second day, community service based clubs get the chance to show students what the purpose of their club is. This event is super effective in increasing student involvement, and by listing it on the calendar on the school website, students will know about it in advance and be much more inclined to learn about these various club opportunities. 

There are many different features to include on a high school website and one of the best ways to show off your students, is to get them involved in updating it! Rather than relying solely on your school's webmaster and staff, treat the website like a living, breathing resume for your students. For example, the student that updates the site with all information regarding clubs and extracurriculars can be the “Student Involvement Coordinator”.

Many students have interests in photography, and this interest can be put to use through being assigned as a photographer to take pictures for the high school website! Lots of students would love to have the opportunity to take pictures and for their work to be featured.They can take pictures to be displayed on the website at school events like sporting events or school dances.

Extracurricular activities are not only a big aspect of the college admission process, they also show students what they are passionate about. Through DECA, an extracurricular club at my school, I found my passion for marketing and realized that was the career path I wanted to take. In addition to finding their passions, students also develop lifelong friendships. The girls I met through my school’s cheer team are people I see myself being in contact with for the rest of my life. Overall, being involved in extracurriculars throughout high school is very important, and a high school’s website can greatly increase this. 

My name is Caroline Bradkin, and I am a seventeen year-old high school senior at Palisades Charter High School. I am the Director of Communications for Palisades DECA, a program that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in various aspects of business. I am also the founder of the Board Games Club, a club dedicated to limiting technology use and teaching younger kids how to play games. I also cheer for my high school varsity cheer team and have been since my sophomore year. When I am not at school, I enjoy volunteering at NKLA, a no-kill animal shelter in Los Angeles. I am joining Edlio this summer through The Intern Project (TIP) as a marketing intern. After high school, I plan on pursuing a career in marketing or communications.