Some highlights of the new clubs at AHS
Lisa Yeung
Staff Writer
October is in full swing. The night falls earlier, the whispering wind is cooler in the morning. The kids are back at school, albeit at home. They sit in chairs, on beds, hunched over. They do it all on computers: writing, typing, conversating, complaining to their friends. Yet one question remains- where have all the clubs gone? The answer is simple: online! Instead of morning announcements alerting students of clubs and students frantically rushing in the halls to get there in time, the clubs have come home to the students, just another change in the new Coronavirus times.
Social media and the wonders of technology cover the meeting aspect of it, but it takes hard work to do the rest. Just what is going on behind the bright screens and happily worded club flyers on Facebook? And how, in a pandemic of all times, are there new clubs starting out at AHS? To answer that question, a deep dive into the club community at AHS was required. Contributors such as Club Commissioner Wenchi Lai (12), Head of the Club Committee Nicole Lai (12), and HOSA club officer Jasmine Wang (12) answered my questions and discussed the changes that had to be made, the new clubs, and the impact this could have on students.
We opened with a general discussion of the (enormous) expansion of the clubs and what students could look forward to. “We have actually the biggest amount of new clubs this year. I think it’s 40, which is incredible,” stated Commissioner Wenchi Lai. Head of the Committee Nicole Lai added that there is a “large range of clubs,” both new and old, including “AHS bookclub, American Dance X, Bay Area Student Activists, Comedy Club, Global Awareness Club, Innovators Club, Investing Ahead, Pakastani Student Association, Psychology Club, Women in STEM, Psychology Club and Inspired Speakers Series.” N. Lai continued about the sudden growth in size, stating that the Club Committee “really tried to emphasize clubs that we thought students would like to participate in more.” HOSA officer Jasmine Wang commented that “New clubs open more topics and discussions with students at AHS, so it’s nice having them around.”
Continuing, I asked about how the clubs will fare during a pandemic. Commissioner Wenchi Lai was optimistic and emphasized, ”They’re definitely trying… it’s really hard in this situation where we’re usually at lunch, when you hear the announcements, most people get club announcements, and you hear, oh this club, they’re having a meeting at Theater 50 today. What this situation, where no one can see it, they use social media. They’re doing their best.” Despite her initial reservations, Commissioner Wenchi Lai now felt that there was actually a possible benefit to the clubs going online, stating that “More of the new students, like the freshmen this year, can participate more and not have to worry about time limits because now they can do it whenever they can.”
Our conversation led us to a question: What addition would the new clubs provide to students at school? Luckily, my contributors were able to answer this. Head of the Committee Nicole Lai pointed out the uniqueness of this year’s clubs, and how “They provide a lot of different ranges of opportunities. For example, comedy club. We’ve never had one of those before.“ Concerning the content of the clubs, she added “I think things like Women in STEM and Bay Area Student Activists, they’re more empowering and I think they fit recent trends of being more empowering and making movements happen.” HOSA officer Jasmine Wang commented that “I think it gives students opportunities to take their minds off academics.“ Drawing from experiences with her own club (HOSA), Wang elaborated “While our club is related to academics, it isn’t something you’d have to constantly grind and learn, it’s just a collaborative and peaceful environment that lets you study and learn a topic in medicine without any pressure. I think that offers a great environment, not just for students that are sure they want to be in the medical field, but also for students who are unsure of which major and career path they want to take.” Thinking hard, Nicole finished off “I think there’s a lot of clubs that can provide that kind of energy to be able to make change that’s positive for themselves and others.”
October is in full swing. The night falls earlier, the whispering wind is cooler in the morning. The kids are back at school, albeit at home. They sit in chairs, on beds, hunched over. They do it all on computers: writing, typing, conversating, complaining to their friends. Yet one question remains- where have all the clubs gone? The answer is simple: online! Instead of morning announcements alerting students of clubs and students frantically rushing in the halls to get there in time, the clubs have come home to the students, just another change in the new Coronavirus times.
Social media and the wonders of technology cover the meeting aspect of it, but it takes hard work to do the rest. Just what is going on behind the bright screens and happily worded club flyers on Facebook? And how, in a pandemic of all times, are there new clubs starting out at AHS? To answer that question, a deep dive into the club community at AHS was required. Contributors such as Club Commissioner Wenchi Lai (12), Head of the Club Committee Nicole Lai (12), and HOSA club officer Jasmine Wang (12) answered my questions and discussed the changes that had to be made, the new clubs, and the impact this could have on students.
We opened with a general discussion of the (enormous) expansion of the clubs and what students could look forward to. “We have actually the biggest amount of new clubs this year. I think it’s 40, which is incredible,” stated Commissioner Wenchi Lai. Head of the Committee Nicole Lai added that there is a “large range of clubs,” both new and old, including “AHS bookclub, American Dance X, Bay Area Student Activists, Comedy Club, Global Awareness Club, Innovators Club, Investing Ahead, Pakastani Student Association, Psychology Club, Women in STEM, Psychology Club and Inspired Speakers Series.” N. Lai continued about the sudden growth in size, stating that the Club Committee “really tried to emphasize clubs that we thought students would like to participate in more.” HOSA officer Jasmine Wang commented that “New clubs open more topics and discussions with students at AHS, so it’s nice having them around.”
Continuing, I asked about how the clubs will fare during a pandemic. Commissioner Wenchi Lai was optimistic and emphasized, ”They’re definitely trying… it’s really hard in this situation where we’re usually at lunch, when you hear the announcements, most people get club announcements, and you hear, oh this club, they’re having a meeting at Theater 50 today. What this situation, where no one can see it, they use social media. They’re doing their best.” Despite her initial reservations, Commissioner Wenchi Lai now felt that there was actually a possible benefit to the clubs going online, stating that “More of the new students, like the freshmen this year, can participate more and not have to worry about time limits because now they can do it whenever they can.”
Our conversation led us to a question: What addition would the new clubs provide to students at school? Luckily, my contributors were able to answer this. Head of the Committee Nicole Lai pointed out the uniqueness of this year’s clubs, and how “They provide a lot of different ranges of opportunities. For example, comedy club. We’ve never had one of those before.“ Concerning the content of the clubs, she added “I think things like Women in STEM and Bay Area Student Activists, they’re more empowering and I think they fit recent trends of being more empowering and making movements happen.” HOSA officer Jasmine Wang commented that “I think it gives students opportunities to take their minds off academics.“ Drawing from experiences with her own club (HOSA), Wang elaborated “While our club is related to academics, it isn’t something you’d have to constantly grind and learn, it’s just a collaborative and peaceful environment that lets you study and learn a topic in medicine without any pressure. I think that offers a great environment, not just for students that are sure they want to be in the medical field, but also for students who are unsure of which major and career path they want to take.” Thinking hard, Nicole finished off “I think there’s a lot of clubs that can provide that kind of energy to be able to make change that’s positive for themselves and others.”
Eagle Era 