High School Youth Activities
High school is an important center of education but the high school experience goes beyond classroom learning. When people look back fondly on their high school days, it's not usually because of math equations and English papers. They remember the interesting experiences they had and the people--faculty and staff as well as students--who were involved.
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Field Trips
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Field trips give students interesting and educational opportunities outside of a school setting. A public educational facility such as a science center or museum can provide an enhancement to science and history classroom work. Students can learn more about how products are made by visiting a factory and viewing the process.
Nontraditional venues can be considered. Discussion of tourism and economy could be paired with a visit to an amusement park or resort.
Performing Arts
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A talent show could feature numerous musical acts. Put on a talent show or contest with the students, hold a stand-up comedy open mike, do karaoke or put on a simple play. In the classroom, try "improv" games. "Word at a Time Story" features participants who sit in a circle and tell a story one word at a time. In "Conducted Story," point to a participant to start the story and shortly afterward, point to someone else who should ideally pick up the story seamlessly. You can choose to focus on specific classroom topics.
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Games and Interviews
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Trivia games are an entertaining way to learn about science, history, current events and other educational topics. Separate the class into two teams to add to the competitive spirit. Another educational activity is for students to become reporters for a day, interviewing sources and researching information and then writing the "story." The students could write about local people, whether civic leaders or civil servants, or interview locals whose experiences are relative to a larger topic.
Community Service
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High school students can be very good stewards of their community. A youth leadership team benefits the community while also helping youth learn leadership skills and become ready for college and life on their own. Working in a soup kitchen, food shelf or animal shelter boosts awareness of community issues and gives students opportunities to help. Cleaning up city parks and serving as youth representatives in city government can give students a sense of ownership in the community.
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