Extracurricular activities offer students the opportunity to pursue any potential passion a student has within a curated space of their peers. They have been shown to cultivate leadership opportunities, enhance teamwork experience, develop time management and promote networking skills, foster confidence, and ultimately aid the learning process. By participating in an extracurricular activity, students are able to take invaluable skills and apply them back to their academics during the school day.
Students are able to explore a myriad of different clubs and activities within each of our buildings, particularly at the Middle and High Schools. Our dedicated coaches and teachers work hard to foster an extracurricular environment that provides a platform for every CNE student to pursue at least one of their interests.
While there are a great variety of clubs, activities, sports, and more at the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, we would like to highlight two of our extracurriculars in our upper-level buildings today: National Junior Honor Society and Future Farmers of America.
National Junior Honor Society
National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is a worldwide organization offered at our Middle School. This organization aims to elevate a school’s commitment to the values of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. As a member of NJHS, students are not only recognized for their accomplishments, but challenged to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service. Members take on multiple volunteering projects within the community such as food drives for local food pantries and local animal shelters. This is a great way to build skills such as leadership, communication, and organization within a project.
To be a member of NJHS, students must show those five pillars of character, leadership, service, scholarship, and citizenship in and out of the classroom. Additionally, students must have and keep a 3.5 GPA throughout the school year and need to have one letter of recommendation from a staff member.
There are currently ___ 8th graders in NJHS, and on Thursday, March 2, CNE Middle School will be inducting 12 additional 8th grade students and 18 7th grade students. The organization will then begin planning new initiatives and projects for the upcoming school year.
Future Farmers of America
Future Farmers of America (FFA) is a nationwide youth organization that prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. While the name FFA might be misleading, this organization is not just for students who want to be production farmers; FFA also welcomes members who aspire to be teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners, and much more.
At CNE High School, there are approximately 80 active members in FFA throughout grades 8-12. In order to be eligible for FFA, students must be enrolled in an Agricultural Education course. Students learn skills that make them better leaders and team members, and are also prepared for the future with interview and application experiences.
This year, the CNE FFA is taking on:
Volunteering at CNE Cares, which helps local families in need, bi-monthly and monthly
Participating in FFA competition events such as Soil Judging, Parliamentary Procedure, and Public Speaking
Attending the State FFA Convention in May after their attendance at the National Convention
Hosting an “Ag Day” for CNE Elementary on March 30, where students will bring animals, farm equipment, and other items to explain the importance of agriculture
As you can see, so many lifelong skills are developed through participation in both these activities – and they are only two of the options our CNE students have to explore their interests and identify their future paths.
These are just two of the amazing extracurriculars our schools offer. If you would like to learn more about what clubs or activities your school offers, reach out to your respective school.