Welcome to Bangor High School Athletics! On behalf of the Staff, Administration, School Board, and Community, we are very proud of our student-athletes and all the hard work they put in to be Bangor Cardinals! Athletics and co-curricular activities are one of the most important parts of the overall educational experience of our students.

"We control two things in life, our attitude and effort."

Mr. Laxton can be reached via his email plaxton@bangorsd.net or 608-486-5222. The Bangor School District believes that the goals and objectives of this District are best achieved by a diversity of learning experiences, including those that are not conducted in a regular classroom but are directly related to the curriculum and student growth.

The purpose of curricular-related activities shall be to enable students to explore a wider range of individual interests than may be available in the District's courses of study but are still directly related to accomplishing the educational outcomes for students as adopted by the Board.

The importance of extracurricular activities at school is well established. The primary goals of extracurricular activities focus on the individual student level, the institutional level, and the broader community level. These activities exist to complement the school's academic curriculum and to enhance the student's educational experience.

Research clearly shows that almost any type of student involvement in high school and middle school positively affects student learning and development. Research also indicates that extracurricular involvement has a positive impact on attaining a college degree and on educational aspirations. Students who are actively engaged are more likely to have higher educational ambitions than uninvolved students. Extracurricular activities provide a setting to become involved and to interact with other students, thus leading to increased learning and enhanced development. Specifically, a student's peer group is the most important source of influence on a student's academic and personal development.

As the development of the well-rounded individual is the main goal of extracurricular activities at school, the numerous experiences have a positive impact on the students' emotional, intellectual, social, and inter-personal development. By working together with other individuals, students learn to negotiate, communicate, manage conflict, and lead others. Taking part in these out-of-the-classroom activities helps students to understand the importance of critical thinking skills, time management, and academic and intellectual competence. Involvement in activities helps students mature socially by providing a setting for student interaction, relationship formation, and discussion. Working outside of the classroom with diverse groups of individuals allows for students to gain more self-confidence and appreciation for others' differences and similarities.