By Lynn Im ’15, Entertainment Section Editor
This year, the Upper School welcomed a number of new clubs. Along with some classic clubs like Model UN, The Scroll, and Science Olympiad, some new clubs like Anime Club, 3D Modeling Club, and Ping-Pong Club were formed. Students have many clubs options from academic focused clubs to more fun oriented clubs. Why do we have clubs? Country Day clubs exist “to have students work together, to learn leadership [skills], and to develop interests in things that are outside of the academic realm, but [at the same time] connected to it,” as Mrs. Stephanie Luebbers, Upper School Head, explained in 2009.
Since it has become quite easy for students to join clubs without pressure to proactively participate, some students just put their names on the sign up list. Often they don’t show clear will to commit. This could marginalize the meaning of clubs. Here are some tips that could make our club system stronger and more meaningful.
- Club leaders, be a leader!
Co-coordinator of the clubs system Ms. Patricia Robitaille believes that a club is successful due to its strong leadership. As an example, Ms. Robitaille mentioned Jack Hupper’15, leader of the a cappella club. Hupper joined the Country Day community last year as a junior. Nostalgic for the a cappella club at his old school, Jack one established here. His club was successfully launched by selecting 14 passionate singers. Members of his club performed several times and the club got a standing ovation from their audiences. Typically, the Club Fair is held in the fall. So it is unusual for a new club to begin in the spring. However, due to his persistence and passion, Hupper successfully formed the new club. Students who wish to launch a new club can learn from Hupper: make strong plans, be responsible.
- Know and make your own limits.
During the club fair, each club brings delicious treats to attract students to join their clubs. And students often sell themselves to those treats and casually join the clubs. The problem is that a few minutes after finishing those delicious treats, they forget about the clubs. Students often think, “Yeah, even though I signed up for that club, I don’t have to go so I won’t.” Even I might feel a bit of guilt about that.
Casually putting your name down on the sign-up list can be torturous for the club leaders. Club leaders get excited about gaining many “new members,” but when they find out that very few of these people actually participate in the club, it can be infuriating and almost devastating.
Be more careful and thoughtful when signing up for clubs and considering which ones you will participate in this year. First think about what the activities of the club are and if you will like the club activities. You should also think about how much time the club will take, and if you have time to commit.
This is also a good life lesson to apply to other situations. We need to think about our ability to participate and commit. Therefore, we can be even more proud when we sign up for club. Committing to clubs this way will improve the club quality and everyone will benefit.
