At Olympia High School, kids get to pick from all sorts of extracurricular activities. Each one brings its own kind of engagement and challenges. This year, the main ones people are signing up for include Student Government Association (SGA), Culinary, Weightlifting, and Speech & Debate. These organizations pull in many students for different reasons, like gaining leadership experience, getting creative, staying fit, or practicing talking in front of crowds. Today, we’ll get to hear all about some of Olympia’s most popular extracurriculars.
SGA stands out for anyone who wants to lead and get involved in school. In this organization, students handle planning events, set up meetings, and communicate with the student body and faculty. SGA folks often team up on school happenings— think spirit weeks, fundraising events, and community outreach gatherings. These projects help to practice leadership and organization skills. SGA requires good time management skills and real commitment— kids have to juggle regular classes with SGA duties. Still, lots of them like how it builds their communication and teamwork skills. In addition, they learn the ins and outs of running the school.
Culinary interests those who enjoy working in the kitchen with food. The classes cover real-world applicable skills, like following recipes, managing time while cooking, and staying safe. In this class, students might work alone or with a group. They make meals, bake sweets, and practice various cooking methods. These electives feel fun and active, but require precision and speed. For this reason, Culinary challenges folks who aren’t big on details. Take Ameen Djoudi, a junior in Culinary. “I have been trying to get into culinary for the past three years and finally got it now that I am a junior,” he recalled. “It kept filling up, and I was never able to get in. That shows how packed it gets.” Clearly, Culinary is a fun class with a lot of student demand.
Weightlifting zeros in on getting fit, building strength, and learning ways to exercise. In the class, students figure out safe practices and tricks to lifting weights like professionals. They set their own fitness targets without getting hurt. Sessions usually start with warm-ups, then strength work, and other moves to avoid injuries. The physical side is tough. But it skips heavy book stuff. Still, you have to show up steadily to see gains. Sophomore Kevin Loko, talked about why it’s hot. He said, “I managed to get into weightlifting since all my friends kept asking me to try it. A lot of them did not get in because of how fast the class filled up.” Similar to culinary, weightlifting is quite popular among the study body, which shows just how fantastic this class is.
Debate builds sharp thinking, digging into research, and speaking out. Students not only prepare their points but also have to deliver them convincingly, handling the pushback like a professional. Activities cover looking up topics, practicing speeches, completing rounds against classmates, and taking notes from the teacher. It ranks as one of the most brain-heavy electives. All that prep and focus takes a lot. “I was able to get into Debate 2 this year, and I got lucky since a lot of people that I know were not able to secure a spot,” sophomore Mohamed Raach shared.
Electives at Olympia High cover a bunch of paths. They let students chase what they like as well as pick up on fresh skills. Some, like debate or SGA, need serious stick-to-it-ness. Other classes, like culinary or weightlifting, lean into hands-on work and moving around. Kids choose based on what grabs them and their aims. No matter what you end up doing, at Olympia, there are no wrong choices. Our electives spice up regular learning and open doors to skills and passions that stick around even after high school.
