Creating clubs at Stevens is something most students are unaware they are able to do. Nonetheless, it is an amazing opportunity to promote mutual connection and interest.
Creating a club on first glance can seem pretty daunting. However, there are less requirements than people realize. Club creation is an easy process. Most students just don’t know where to start. So, here’s everything you need to know about creating a successful club at Stevens High School.
First and most importantly, you have to start with an interest. Hayley Cunningham, who created the Film Club says, “The best part of creating my own club was definitely just having people with similar interests come together and get passionate about something. I personally started the film club to gather all my friends who also really like movies; we just have a really fun time all together. It was the best part of my week for sure.”
Club founder, Hayley Cunningham asserts that as long as you try you can’t fail. “As long as you’re showing up, trying to make each club meeting better, your club can’t be unsuccessful. Just being passionate about something will make your club meaningful. Make a club that you will enjoy showing up to and improving instead of something you think would be impressive on a college application. Passion is the most impressive thing you can do,” she says.
According to the Activities Director, Mr. Karn, consistency is key. “Consistency is one, a lot of ideas are great, and that’s where it starts but what does the follow through look like? And is there student interest? You might want to start a club but are people interested? Is it just your group of friends or is it something you can see on a broader scale too? And I think that with such a large school there are a lot of people interested in a lot of different things, so you can probably find some, and then obviously, you know if the staff members bought into it. If a staff member is going to be consistent and their passionate about it then that’s going to drive the success of the club,” said Karn.
Moreover, be unique when starting a club. Clubs are a great way to participate in extracurricular activities for many different interests and pathways. They could be movie watching, sports that the school doesn’t host, or even different forms of art. As long as it aligns with school values and invites participation, the possibilities are endless.
Keep in mind that you can’t run a club alone. The largest requirement is for a teacher or other staff member to be the advisor of the club itself. Additionally, students have to create a board of representatives. There at least has to be a president, but there can be other board members as well. To get board members, there has to be a process for election. The utilization of club election allows a club to be passed on for multiple years.
To be a great leader, you have to be present. President of the Photography Club, Anna Haeder, says that for her club, she shows up to meetings once a month for the Student Leadership Advisory Council, hosted by Principal Hafner. At these meetings, club leaders discuss opportunities to engage and inspire students to participate in their school environment. There also must be a meeting time and place established. Keeping a regular schedule for your club allows for consistent attendance.
Everything must be approved by Mr. Karn, the activities director for Stevens high school. Most clubs get approved but there is always the rare occasion when things don’t work out, “This is my third year now, I have not rejected a club yet, however if the club is against our student handbook, our district polices, which is extremely rare, then I would have to deny it” said Karn.
When trying to construct a club with all the requirements things could become complicated. There could be an overlap with other clubs, sports, or even events that will overlap with the location of club. Creating a club is something that could have a lasting impact on the school and could even continue for further generations.
If you are not interested in starting your own club, you can still participate in some that are already established. Stevens has many clubs that are offered here, these include:
Art Club, ASL Club, Beekeeping Club, Chess Club, Economics Club, FCA Club, FCA, Film Club, German Club, HOSA, Psychology Club, Photography Club, Prom, Spanish Club, Spike-ball Club, Sustainability Club, and Table Tennis/ Ping Pong.
For any further questions surrounding club creation, feel free to reach out to Mr. Karn.