First it was boys’ volleyball, then rugby. What will be the next sport to disappear from U. City?
Multiple studies show the positive benefits of extracurricular activities on students, including improved motivation, behavior, grades and social life. Instead of eliminating sports, U. City could actually add a few to offer students more opportunities to build self-esteem, GPAs and life skills.

“We should add lacrosse,” said freshman Noah Greenberg. “There is a good amount of guys that would join the team; it’s hard to play lacrosse if you don’t play for your school.”

Sports at U. City — and any school — bring entertainment and motivation to students.

“More sports will give U. City more clout and keep some students out of trouble,” Elijah Trice, senior, said. “Volleyball would be the sport I would play if we had it.”

Schools such as Parkway Central offer club and intramural programlike flag football and ultimate Frisbee. At U. City, there are no intramural sports.

“Archery is not a sport most schools have,” Darrian Fields, senior, said. “I believe adding it to the list would bring interest from a lot of students and it just might be something good to invest in.”

Adding more sports could potentially increase community interest in the school and also gain more fans.

“More sports will potentially increase the amount of attention and positive media portrayal of the school,” Christion Simmons, senior, said. “Students may find school more enjoyable due to their participation in extracurricular activities.”

Students not involved in sports could discover that getting involved brings benefits needed throughout their lives.

“Teamwork, trust, and positioning are all essential to playing volleyball,” Kevin Stapleton-Cloud, math teacher and girls volleyball coach, said. “Given our current school population and spring sports going on at the same time, I am not sure we can effectively fill a volleyball team for multiple years.”