As the school year begins and students start to find their bearings around school, they must find a supportive community. It may be tough to see this in pressure-filled classrooms, so many students seek a sense of home in extracurricular activities like sports teams, volunteering, religious centers and clubs. WCHS aimed to give students this opportunity as over 150 clubs were introduced at the annual Club Day.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, WCHS students filled the gym where they were welcomed by student leaders and colorful poster boards. No matter their grade level, students were encouraged to learn about and join clubs that stood out to them
“Even though I’m a senior and I only have one more year left of club activities, I was still exploring all the clubs available to me,” WCHS senior Teddy Bershtein said. “There were so many that interested me, and I made sure to sign up to see what activities they had planned.”
WCHS club leaders got ready in the weeks leading up to Club Day, whether it was buying materials, decorating a poster board, preparing signup sheets or even planning how they would present their club to prospective members.
“I think I started really preparing for Club Day in August,” WCHS senior and Muslim Student Association (MSA) Treasurer Aleeza Ali said. “I am an officer of five different clubs, and each club’s officers had separate meetings to decide our plans for the upcoming year, which was very productive.”
MSA is a long-standing club at WCHS that has worked hard to create a safe Islamic space at school. They have always made sure that the club unites both Muslim and non-Muslim students. The tradition continued this year at Club Day as the officers recruited many new members and explained to them what MSA was all about.
“Being able to present MSA to students, especially freshmen, was rewarding, both for the club and the students,” Ali said. “I found success in just being open with people, whether they were Muslim or not, and giving them all the information they needed to decide if MSA was right for them.”
With so many clubs to choose from, there was something to cater to nearly every interest. The event showcased clubs in categories like sports, art, religion, hobbies and so many more. This left students walking out of the gym feeling satisfied because if there was something they were interested in, there was a club to match it.
“All of the clubs I am in revolve around something completely different,” Ali said. “It was a nice change of scenery as I rotated around the room to my different posters meeting different crowds of people wherever I went.”
While Club Day does not give leaders the opportunity to delve into everything that their club is a part of, it gives them the chance to really speak to prospects one-on-one. Students are able to gain new insights and figure out if a club is the right fit for them.
“I probably talked to so many new people just to get a grasp of what their club was about and if it was something I was interested in,” Bershtein said. “A lot of the officers really knew what they were talking about and were a huge factor in me signing up for their club. Especially the officers at GEM (Girls Empowered by Math), who were really invested in their club and did a great job informing me about it.”
This is the first of two Club Days at WCHS this year, and both are sure to make an impact on the student population. Reaching out and recruiting new members was important, ensuring students feel connected to and valued in the community.
“I am grateful for the opportunity Club Day gave me to explore and understand the different types of activities at Churchill,” Bershtein said. “Without it, I don’t think I would be able to find a community as collaborative and interactive to my interests.”
