The wide assortment of clubs at MHS are the backbone of our school’s identity. Through these clubs, we nurture a productive school environment where students can explore their interests and impact the school in a profound way. 

This year, a smorgasbord of clubs have launched successful projects, most notably Black Student Union’s Poetry Slam, Environmental Club’s numerous community cleanups, Civic Engagement Club’s community conversations, Adjudicator Club’s humorous stories, and Freshman Student Council’s countless fundraisers and community outreach initiatives. 

However, outside of those mentioned, most clubs have failed to reach their goals and maintain consistency as the school year has gone on. This lack of productive action from our school clubs is depriving not only our students but also our school’s ability to reach its full potential. The problem reveals greater issues within our school clubs. 

The majority of our club presidents and vice-presidents are upperclassmen. Moreover, these upperclassmen are primarily seniors. Seniors are often overwhelmed with college applications, scholarships, college visits, interviews, projects and senioritis. This often leaves seniors with attenuated time to lead their specific clubs. As a result, the sustenance of many clubs are compromised.  

For our clubs to better serve our school, we need to amend the way we structure our clubs. We must understand that effective leading requires efficient methods. Being the President or Vice President of your club does not mean that only you can organize meetings or start new projects. Being president or vice president of your club means that you are a good enough leader to make sure that your club can still function without you. One way we can ensure this is by handing more underclassmen leadership roles. Underclassmen are far less busy than juniors and seniors, giving them more time to explore and lead clubs effectively and consistently. Civic Engagement Club, for example, has almost its entire leadership group consisting of underclassmen and this club has been highly successful this year. 

Club leaders should also consider what commitments a club requires so they are aware of the workload and organizational skills required to excel at that specific position.

If we can establish this precedent of underclassmen leadership and educated commitment, clubs will continue to thrive for years to come and our school and students will have the ability to reach their full potential.