Club Days More or Less?

Clubs have been around for years at FCHS, but due to COVID-19 they were largely put on “pause.” However, places opening back up, clubs have roared back, with a variety of new ones to choose from. Many students are now able to find something they like and if they can’t, then they have the opportunity to start a club of their own.

Clubs not only build friendships and trust, but build a sense of community as well. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to be in a club because I have met people I never would have before,” said Sophomore Class Club member Lily Prater.

“Clubs are nice and I think there need to be more club days. We need to start more clubs for everyone who might be too scared to start one themselves,” said Interact board member Isaiah Bradley.

Participating in clubs can have other benefits too. According to Bentley.edu “Participating in a student organization not only teaches you life skills, but also helps you broaden and improve those you already have. You’ll learn the best way to communicate with both individuals and large groups, and you’ll gain emotional intelligence as you develop new relationships.”

FCHS teachers have different opinions about how club days should be, but the majority think it is nice to have more club days rather than less. “I think clubs are a great idea because they shorten our school days a little bit. I think classes are too long because students tend to fall out of focus. When I was a student teacher, classes would be 50 minutes and that seemed like the [perfect] amount of time. With clubs, our classes are shorter like that and students tend to focus more,” said teacher Kevin Rinald.

Prater agrees “Getting out of class is nice too. Shortened classes are nice and I have something to look forward to during school.”

There are clubs available not only for fun and games but for students who share similar bodily issues. “I’m in the Interact Club and the Diabetes Club. I am a board member for both clubs. This has given me the opportunity to be a leader and help people, and without these clubs I wouldn’t have had that chance. I’m grateful for everything that these clubs have given to me, and that’s why I support the idea of having more clubs,” said Bradley.

There are a variety of club options of which students may be unaware of such as the Danny Devito Club, the Dueling Club, and the Yoga Club. How can you sign up for these clubs? First check your email the days leading up to clubs and there will be a Google form sent out from Technology Specialist Kristen Davis which you must fill out before 9 am the day of clubs in order to officially sign up for that club. If your name is not on the sign up list prior to first block that day then you are ineligible to attend clubs and must stay in your 4th block class. If you are interested in seeing all the other club possibilities check on the Fluco Hub at the top right corner where it says “Student Clubs.” This will take you to the page which tells you what the club is, the sponsor of that club, and where it meets.

Clubs not only can be fun, but they also look great on college applications. According to Admissionsite.com “Colleges care a great deal about extracurriculars. Admissions officers aren’t just interested in what you’re doing in the classroom. They also care what you do out of school, and extracurriculars are an important piece of what high schoolers do with their free time outside of a strictly academic setting.” So if you are not currently in a club, sign up and give it a try.