Features

Diving Into Extracurriculars: How Late is Too Late

Is it ever too late to start extracurriculars in high school?

Taylor Ditore and Addy Whitmer

November 17, 2025

There’s a controversial question: how late is too late to start extracurriculars in a student’s high school career? It’s no surprise that some students have spent most of their time with clubs and sports since freshman year, have never tried anything at all, or began joining extracurriculars later in high school.

Grant Community High School offers many different sports and clubs for all students.There’s no doubt you will find one that sparks your interest, and maybe even become a part of your future. One student who has decided they would continue the sport they had been doing during high school is Lily King.

‘’I’m going to college for wrestling now, and I’ve only been on a school team for wrestling for about two years. I think that if you really show the time and work that you put in, it’ll pay off and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in it,” senior Lily King said.

It’s been proven that over 80% of high school students do extracurriculars.The other 20% have just as much of an opportunity to join an activity as the others do. Starting extracurriculars freshman year offers many benefits such as making lifelong friends, finding new interests, better academic and physical motivation, and even finding a career path. Being a part of high school activities is a vital part of students’ lives, and many students later regret not joining them.

“If you’re thinking about it, just do it. You’re gonna have the time of your life. It’s going to be so much fun. I promise you’re going to meet so many new people just like me,” sophomore Maddie Jewett said.

“Personally, as somebody that started very late in a sport, don’t think that it’s necessarily ever too late,” said King.

Overall, joining a sport/club late in high school, as a matter of fact, doesn’t affect you negatively. As long as you put the time and effort into it, you could have an exciting, fulfilling experience.

About the Contributors

Taylor Ditore, Writer & Layout

Taylor is a Freshman and this is her first year being a part of The Bark. She enjoys writing features and creating layouts for journalism, along with taking photos of student life at Grant. Outside of journalism, she engages in numerous art projects, reads, writes for pleasure, and listens to alternative and rock music. She hopes that journalism will improve her writing. She is also really interested in the mind, hoping to have a career in psychology in the future.

Addy Whitmer, Writer

Addy is a freshman, and this is her first year on The Bark. She plans to be a part of The Bark for the next four years. She LOVES writing and reading. Though her favorite kind of writing is probably opinionated writing. She could and would write those for HOURS. Her department is Features, but she can also do photography when given the opportunity. She joined journalism because she heard it was a great opportunity to improve her writing skills, while making friends. She mostly reads outside of journalism, and she also likes to tumble and dance from time to time. She is very excited for this year with The Bark!

Kaitlyn Edwards, Photographer

Kaitlyn is a sophomore and this is her second year as a member of The Bark. She has a deep passion for photography, and she loves applying that to her work in The Bark. She joined journalism so she could display her love for photography and be able to tell stories through her work. Outside of journalism, she is involved in theatre and watches sports constantly. She hopes to further her experience in photography and continue to tell the stories of Grant