Clubbin' at JA

With every new year that passes, the question of whether there will be enough students to run an event by a club or buy tickets for a formal dance arises. The level of participation within the clubs of JA is heavily reliant on the number of freshmen that join, and in an organization like Student Council, participation across all grade levels is crucial for it to function.

After what seemed to be a school spirit slump last year, students reflect back on what they can do better to increase participation. 

“I feel like there was kind of a lack of outreach to the underclassmen, because it's like it's all upper classmen [who were participating],” explained Student Body Vice President Leyna Gibson. “I think that's probably one of the big reasons why. Like when our formal didn't happen last year, it was because there weren't a lot of underclassmen who were involved in planning it.”

When it comes to determining whether students participate in certain clubs or not, there are many things that have to be considered to make sure that it doesn’t become a problem for the future. 

“I feel like there are a couple factors I think people consider, [such as] how much time is it going to take?” continued Gibson. “I think a lot of the clubs that happen during lunch may be a little bit more popular than zero hour.”

Some students may choose clubs not only because it interests them, but also because it may help them in the future.

“I think another consideration, especially at JA, is how it's going to look on a college application,” Gibson stated.

There are many students who return to clubs each year just because they loved their previous experiences so much.

“I'm thinking Mock Trial [is a club students should consider] because I think it's just such an amazing club,” junior Maya Nayberg said.

There are many things that can go into a club, such as the school sponsors and maybe even some hired coaches. 

“Mr. Truta runs [Mock Trial] and some judges from outside of our school help run the trials,” shared Nayberg.

Many clubs rely on the commitment of just a handful of dedicated members, and those who work hard in the club can get many benefits.

“There's a lot of people in Yearbook right now who are really into photo work and I think one girl got a scholarship last year, so that was really cool,” sophomore Hailey Cohrs stated.

The number of freshmen in clubs this year is on the rise compared to last year. There are many reasons why this change is happening.

“It totally might just be [that] the freshman grade this year is more open to change like that, and I think a lot of the freshmen have siblings or connections to upperclassmen that might want to get them to join,” Soren Thorsten said.

As of right now, the future of clubs at JA is looking bright with participation going up. Students are excited to get positions in clubs to help them on applications or just because they want to help lead something.