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The Mission Statement of Sparta High School is "to assure that students are trained to think clearly, communicate effectively, prepare for a worthwhile career, appreciate our multi-cultural heritage and recognize the dignity and worth
of the individual so that they can take their place as responsible citizens."
To accomplish these ends, young people need to develop in a number of ways. Six of these are: socially, psychologically, ethically, physically, linguistically and intellectually.
The standard school day tends to concentrate on the last two. The cocurricular program touches all six and the first four are areas where the cocurricular program is a particular enhancement. Consequently, our philosophy is not that student activities are extra-curricular. Rather, our cocurricular program is part and parcel of the total learning experience. Extra-curricular implies an add on, a veneer. Cocurricular indicates a full partnership.
As The National Association of Secondary School Principals states in its monograph, The Third Curriculum :
"Not only do students who participate in cocurricular activities do better academically, but they also develop other facets of their personalities in the process. Self-esteem, self-confidence, social cooperation, and leadership skills are just a few of the cognitive factors that are affected. Cocurricular activities allow students to blend various aspects of their academic learning into personal action. The primary objectives of the student activities program promotes the eclectic nature of learning, the skills and responsibilities of leadership, the balance of human talents, the use of self-motivation, the importance of community and the necessity of compassion to name a few."
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