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Recently, NS’s annual Club Rush event was held. A longstanding tradition, this event is put on each year to help new and returning students to connect with each other and the school.
“Club Rush is a huge opportunity for students to find something they’re interested in,” said SBO President Carson Hadley, “and to really explore that and see if that’s something they actually enjoy. For students who aren’t typically involved in a lot of other activities, it can be beneficial, because maybe they just don’t know what clubs are out there.”
The school counselors were the chief organizers behind Club Rush this year. NS’s counselors recently set a lofty goal to get every student involved in at least one club or organization. After a massive push from them for more student involvement in extracurricular activities, Club Rush was changed.
“Part of what made Club Rush hard this year was cause we were changing it,” Hadley said. “In the past, it’s been the traditional: everyone goes in the gym, the clubs get their little booths set up, and everyone just goes around and joins all these clubs. So, we tried this new way of doing things, just to see if it would be more effective, and I think it was.”
This school year, instead of a communal gathering in the gym, each club gave a short presentation in the auditorium, then set up longer explanations in separate rooms. Students were given two sessions during which they had to choose a club to visit and find out more about.
“It’s been a big push from the counselors to get more students involved,” said student government advisor Tyler Bailey. “And so as a result of that, you obviously need more clubs… so, as of right now, there are 31 offerings.”
Age-old staples like band, drama, journalism, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, and the Multicultural Club have been offered for years and have substantial student involvement. However, this year boasts several brand new clubs and organizations that have never been seen before, including a spikeball club, an out-door club, a book club, a hiking club, an orchestra program, and an anxiety and stress counseling group.
“Clubs have gotten, at least at NS, more,” Bailey said. “There’s certainly more now than there was back then…There is no doubt in my mind that there is a club in the school for every student to get involved in.”
Involvement in extracurricular activities is one of the most vouched for ways to stay happy and successful in high school.
“We have a goal as counselors,” said counselor Jon Hafen, “to try and get as near to 100 percent of students as possible to be involved in a club. We know that as students are participating in clubs, research shows they do better in school.”
Unfortunately, 35 percent of students are not involved in any clubs, and that is a detriment to them.
“We don’t want anyone feeling left out,” Hafen said. “I would love to make sure all of our students are involved somewhere and feel included in the school. I just invite any and every student to get involved somewhere. And if there are ones that are afraid to step out of their comfort zone and go and do that, come see the counselors and let us help you find a way to get involved.”
This idea that clubs are beneficial to students and school isn’t a new one. In fact, 96 percent of NS students agree that they are important in high school.
“The data does say that students who get involved in something like this are more likely to graduate,” Bailey said. “Ultimately that’s our goal as a school, as a faculty, as a staff, is to get kids to graduate.”
Making new friends, learning new things, and having fun are only a few of the many benefits that can come from clubs and organizations.
“Clubs and organizations are the thing that have made high school enjoyable,” Hadley said. “In my experience, they’re what makes school fun.”
