On September 25, the Faulkner Reading Room was bustling with people, club leaders and faculty advisors listening with varying degrees of interest and frustration as the new club application process was announced. Many leaders in their third or fourth year of clerking were exasperated, wondering why they needed to sit through the lunch, while freshman listened intently, jotting down notes.
So why the new system? At the beginning of last year, AFS boasted 38 student-led clubs. By June, only around ten consistently met and upheld attendance expectations. What was the reason for this dramatic “club collapse”?
Yael Smith Posner ‘25, clerk of Jewish Affinity Group and former clerk of Womxn’s Empowerment, believes one reason was the lack of clarity surrounding what is needed to start and uphold a successful club.
She explains that while the information wasn’t secret, there wasn’t a resource to “streamline the club process so that it [was] accessible to everyone and everyone [got] the same information.”
While there were ways to learn about the club process, the information wasn’t readily available, especially for students who were new to club life.
Smith Posner said, “The question I had was what resources could AFS be providing those clubs so that they succeeded? Because club success is community success.”
After a few meetings with Assistant Director of Upper School Tina Yen over the past year, Smith Posner started working with members of STAC to understand their takes on the issue. Then, she drafted a document with the club committee’s help entitled “How To: For Club Clerks.”
This document provides most of the basic information on how to start a club, reserve rooms, fundraise, budget, and overall have a successful year as a clerk. The majority of this document isn’t new, but it’s the first time it’s ever been outlined in a format everyone can access.
Smith Posner said the document “will support freshman leaders to start clubs and not have to feel like they’re competing against [a senior’s] knowledge of clubs.”
While the document is a win-win for everyone, most aspiring and current clerks are concerned about the application process. Previously, there was no formal written application, and most clubs proposed were accepted.
This year, students must submit a year plan with their application so that clerks, faculty advisors, and Yen will be on the same page about scheduled events and be able to plan accordingly. Not only will this maximize the amount of events that are able to run this year, Smith Posner hopes it will increase club attendance and member engagement.
Smith Posner said, “By clubs having a year plan and being transparent with their members about meeting times, club members will be able to mark their calendars and come to every meeting.”
If all club members know when a major event is, they can plan to focus more energy on that club leading up to the event. Hopefully, this will prevent the previous dip in club engagement.
Yen will be reviewing applications, and though Smith Posner won’t be making the decision on whether or not certain clubs run, she emphasizes that this is a pilot program, one step in a process of continuing revelation, and if it doesn’t work out, it can always be changed.
Smith Posner said, “I hope that students feel open to offering feedback, to trying the new system, and seeing what becomes easier, and if there are things that are becoming harder.”
The purpose of the application process isn’t to punish club clerks, or make starting a club more difficult and tedious.
The goal is to get clerks and faculty advisors to work together, plan ahead, and ensure that if 38 clubs start meeting this fall, all 38 will accomplish their goals and still be thriving in the spring.
Cora • Oct 30, 2024 at 8:40 am
I think that clubs are important because they offer a space for students with similar interests and passions to come together. Spaces such as this provide a sense of belonging and feeling of comfort. Clubs allow students to experience new opportunities, make friends, talk over things that matter to them, and explore new ideas. Through clubs, students can try out new things they never would have before. Clubs can allow students to grow their curiosity and push their boundaries, something that is incredibly important to development. Clubs also give their participants opportunities to make connections with people they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Cora • Oct 30, 2024 at 8:39 am
I think that this new plan for the club clerking process is smart. Giving an outline for clubs provides clerks, new and old, with a system to follow for the success of their clubs. In any space having a backbone is important. “How to: For Club Clerks” will limit the amount of failed clubs going forward, providing students with an array of new experiences and a safe place. Clubs are important and by holding them to these standards, we are ensuring (or helping to ensure) that these spaces can be upheld and preserved. Allowing students a space to discuss their passions is important, and providing a system for clerking clubs will allow this to happen successfully.
Aila • Oct 30, 2024 at 8:38 am
I think that it is a good idea because having 32 clubs is a bit unnecessary and having 10 clubs that students actually go to and experience is better. Using a document to organize everything is a much better system than announcing your club in the morning assembly or emailing the whole upper school. The idea of sending a request form to Tina in order to get your club approved is a good idea because it cuts down on repeating clubs, or duplicates. Yael also mentioned having a calendar of meetings so that club members can attend every meeting. It is also good that they are accepting feedback on this new system because there may be some kinks to work out since it is new. My only experience with clubs has been in MS where you had to get your club approved and needed a teacher to help run it that way there wouldn’t be any duplicate clubs. Since there was a dedicated club time we were guaranteed to meet at least once. I think that clubs are important because it give you the chance to branch out away from your own grade and meet people in other grades. It also helps you discover what you want to do in life and what your passions are, which when you are in high school is very important.
Natalia • Oct 30, 2024 at 8:36 am
I definitely think having a “How To: For Club Clerks” is a good idea, especially because it could help newer students feel encouraged to get involved with more clubs. It’s always so sad to see clubs with amazing ideas start strong in the beginning, but never meet by the middle of the year. Consistency is definitely a key part of having a stable club. Having a document that everyone can have access to seems like something that would help cancel out confusion on how to run a club, especially for first time club clerks. The year plan is also helpful for someone who is in multiple clubs like myself. It’s definitely a game changer for making sure none of my meetings overlap! Though the club applications make it so not every club will be present, it’s definitely for the best to help the clubs run smoother!
Trey • Oct 30, 2024 at 7:42 am
I think a “How To: For Club Clerks” is a great idea and will definitely improve how every club operates and ensure all clubs are thriving throughout the year. I agree that it’s important that students from all grades have a resource that will help them properly manage and start clubs if they are new. I think a meeting with all returning and incoming clerks will really make sure they are all on the same page and that there is an even playing field for everyone. However making an entire year plan might make some challenges, because you may never know how your club might want to pivot activities, and you also won’t know how much money you’ll raise for certain events. But overall, I think this was a good idea for all club clerks.
Roger • Oct 30, 2024 at 7:40 am
Thank you for giving us a more in-depth view of what is happening to the club system. As a Freshman, the club system is still relatively confusing for me and is completely different from the middle school system. I think it is a great idea to have a document to serve as a base for new clubs. Oftentimes, when we want to try something new, we don’t know how to go about it and need some encouragement or help to get going. Unfortunately, club membership can still be a challenging thing for many people. There are often conflicts between a club block and meeting with a teacher or participating in some other sort of extra-curricular activity. I believe that the club system could still use some changes, but this is a great first step to help change the way we participate in clubs.
Quincy • Oct 20, 2024 at 6:33 pm
I definitely think that the changes described here are an amazing idea. I think this because after seeing how many clubs were started vs how many survived and why they didn’t survive, it is clear that changes needed to be made. Through my experiences as a member of different clubs I think one problem was the lack of engagement with certain clubs and that was due to clubs not meeting consistently. I also think the success of the club comes from not only the clerks, but from staff. There were clubs last year whose main ideas were overlapping, and in reality could have been one club. Also I feel as though clubs are important because they serve as an easy way for people with common interests who dont know eachother to know each other, and to build a stronger sense of community in general. It also serves as a way for people to explore their interests in a very friendly, open, and accepting climate.
Dahlia • Oct 18, 2024 at 11:16 am
I think that the “How To: For Club Clerks” document is a great idea. I think that having that resource is super helpful if you have questions about being a club clerk, and I don’t see any reason in not having that as an option for students to look at. I do think that the club application process is a bit more controversial, mainly referring to the year plan part as oftentimes, club plans come to fruition throughout the year. As a club clerk, the description of how clubs fizzle out by the end of the year resonates and the idea of a more structured system appeals to me. I think that club clerks as well as the community as a whole will benefit from a new plan to keep the club scene flourishing.
Ava Cole • Oct 18, 2024 at 8:41 am
I think that making all of this information available is important and a great idea! I wonder what other ways new clerks can be supported? As a clerk who has been clerking since my freshman year, I would’ve loved to have had a document like this instead of figuring it out as I went. Maybe JEDI or STAC should lead a workshop series that gives training to students who are interested in being clerks as a requirement. I love the club system at our school. It’s a great opportunity for students to engage in a wide range of interests.
percy • Oct 17, 2024 at 8:02 pm
I thought the meeting for the clerks was a tad frustrating especially because I know certain clubs that had different ideas but were forced to merge. However, I think it is a really good idea to even the playing field and even some upperclassmen learned ideas and rules for clubs they didn’t before. This makes me wonder about how clubs have to change to be their own seperate club and what the metrics used are to decide if a club is too like another club or not. Overall, I think the meeting and resources providing were beneficial and the club application was not tedious so it worked out.
chloe • Oct 17, 2024 at 6:36 pm
I think the changes to the club process are a crucial part of extracurricular activities at AFS. I know personally when I joined clubs last year, there was some disconnect between the attendees and the club clerks. But, in my opinion, these new rules will implement a new system that works for everyone. This new system seems organized and fair because it requires club clerks to prove that they truly are passionate about the club they are organizing and, also, it gives attendees a responsibility as well. I think clubs are an extremely important part of the AFS community because it allows students to come together in a space and relate on a personal level. Without clubs, you may not see the unlikely friendships that are so common at AFS. Clubs provide a level of comfort because it allows students to gather in a space where they know other people who are just as passionate as they are.
Amir • Oct 17, 2024 at 11:12 am
I believe that all of these changes are positive. I appreciate how the changes aim to improve the club system rather than demote it. I particularly like the requirement for clubs to submit a plan with their application, as it will help in organizing events and making sure everything runs smoothly. However, I do think there should be flexibility for unexpected events. This calendar is very good for scheduling events and maximizing the use of club time for various activities. Hopefully, all of the clerks and faculty advisors get along and accomplish the goal of running successfully. Nice writing and article!
Cat • Oct 17, 2024 at 9:21 am
I think that a “How To: For Club Clerks” is an excellent strategy for ensuring that everyone has a strong foundation to kickstart a club before they can grow into their roles as club clerks. It is important that students of all grades have a resource so that they can properly achieve their goals without obstacles and poor management. My experience with clubs at Abington Friends School has been similar to what was described in this article. They tend to start off tremendously strong at the start of the school year, and fizzle out by the end. However, clubs are essential to a vibrant student body and engaging those who are often quiet or uninterested in school life. When we create spaces for people to open up and share their interest with others, people will be more excited to come to a school they consider a safe space.
Alana • Oct 17, 2024 at 8:35 am
I think the changes to the club process are a good idea to increase the longevity of the engagement, but it almost feels strict in a sense. Of course, clubs should have a plan, but I think having a descriptive year-long plan is too much, and as a club clerk most of the time things are done as they go depending on the circumstances. As crazy as it seems, I think the root of the problem is the lunch and club block. After a long day of school, I feel like students are tempted to skip clubs and prioritize getting straight to the lunch line so they do not have to wait. When I was a freshman, there was lots of engagement with clubs in my opinion, but as last year hit with the new schedule everything drastically changed with student engagement. As a club clerk of 3, I would love to have more engagement and for people to join, but it is also up to them and not just the club clerks. The students in the club are what motivates the club clerks to keep going because the more engagement the more effort that will be put in. Clubs are the center of student engagement, and it is one of the most important things socially about high school life, so in the end I am thankful for the problems getting new solutions.
Solomon • Oct 16, 2024 at 2:40 pm
I think generally the new changes to the AFS club system are quite helpful, though as noted this is a “step in the process of continuing revelation” in clubs and if additional changes are necessary or the new club system is not working something new can be put into place. The new system is helpful for newer club clerks and returning club clerks alike as it can be used a tool for thinking about expectations around clerking to allow for the community to be on the same page about clubs in general. At AFS, clubs are important in allowing for learning and growth outside of the traditional learning environment. This learning that happens experientially in clubs is essential for engaging in the world at large. The emphasis on club life is also grounded in the Quaker testimonies which helps us as a community to engage with Quakerism.
Nevaeh • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:49 am
I think the new process is mostly good for new club clerks, but for the already existing ones, it seems patronizing. Also I don’t agree with having to have a full year plan. I’m a clerk of multiple different student organizations and after doing that for 3 years, I’ve learned that you never know what the year will be like. What you do as a club is based on what the members of your club want to do, how many people are there, how much money you fundraise, etc. I think this process is more organized, application-wise, but forcing people to come to learn how to be a clerk after being a clerk for multiple years just feels like a waste of time.
Serafina Kubersky • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:33 am
I think that it is very important to provide a scaffolding for new clubs, especially those that are being run by underclassmen. I think that by planning out the year, and sharing that plan with someone, clubs are more likely to succeed and maintain attendance. However, I think that sometimes timing can be a barrier for potential club members. Having clubs meet right before lunch, or even during lunch, subjects members to long lunch lines and could potentially hamper their ability to participate. I am curious to see how clubs this year navigate a tricky time block, and I look forward to seeing what clubs this year can accomplish.
Jaydon • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:30 am
I have never been in the position of a club clerk so most of this information is new to me. But I definitely heard about there being a lot of clubs that fizzled out due to a lack of information or guidance. That’s why I agree with the way this new club system works, information and advice on how to run a club should be mandatory information for anyone looking to start a club. I also like this idea because it allows for more clubs to shine and opens up opportunities for people who wouldn’t want to join a club anyway. Clubs are important because they allow for people to find others who enjoy some of their passions, and I think that it is great that AFS is focusing more and more on that.
esa • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:25 am
Great Article Anj! I think this new structure to clubs is very helpful to our younger classmen as it gives them a bit more of a platform to present their ideas and plans without feeling like they’ll be overshadowed by upperclassmen. Clubs have always been important in AFS, to help build connections and grow the community but those values have not often been upheld. Through miss communication between students and faculty, the frequently conflicting scheduling, and overbearing # of clubs, previously clubs just weren’t thriving the way they should have. But, I think with these new advances AFS club culture is more likely to succeed!
Mason Fullertob • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:15 am
I do not know if the changes to the club system are effective. All it will do and did was make sure clubs have a legitimate reason to be a club rather than a social spot. It is tough to have many consistent clubs in this school being there are not many students in the Upper School and many use club time as a free rather than a time to try something new. I am a club leader and although my club is very small and only had myself and one other person run the club with basically no members it was still fun. I’m not sure if our club was counted in the 10 clubs that were still going last year, but we were a functioning club despite the lack of members. The challenge is more related to the student engagement of those who are not running a club. The Upper School can have this club process that I did not have an issue with this year, but at the end of the day, students have to show up to clubs. Part of that falls on the clerks and promoting the club, but since AFS is a smaller school it is hard to get a lot of consistent members; especially if there is already a good amount going to another club.
Grace Moore • Oct 16, 2024 at 7:15 am
I think that there has been a lot of pushback from students as there is always an adjustment period when new protocols are introduced, but I think that the idea behind the change is a good one. So many clubs with good ideas failed last year, and in my opinion that was mostly because of lack of student engagement, so hopefully the new structure will promote more student attendance and participation.
I wasn’t in any clubs my sophomore year and I didn’t enjoy the clubs I was in my freshman year. However I have a lot of hope for this year, there are some new and really exciting clubs happening and I think it’ll be a good year for clubs.
I think that clubs are important because they bring people from different grades closer together, you can get to know someone that you otherwise never would’ve talked to. They are also just great for boosting morale, especially during midterm and final season, they are a reason to look forward to coming to school.
Ava Ruff • Oct 15, 2024 at 11:01 am
I believe that the new club process was a good idea and I like the idea of the freshman having the chance to start new clubs and won’t have to compete with the “ senior knowledge clubs.” I see this new process as a restart that will lead to many good things in the future. Giving different people many opportunities to start a club that will make them and other people happy. Personally, I haven’t done a club at Afs yet but I do know the importance of them. Clubs can bring new friendships and experiences into high school life. Clubs can also give the individual an activity to do during or after school; and add excitement to the school life. As explained in the article the new club plan is inviting great things for the future and having more clubs for the long term.
Malea • Oct 15, 2024 at 8:57 am
I think the new club process is very helpful with the schedule and and it allows everyone that wants to go to clubs to go. Last year, it was difficult for people that go to music block to attend or to be a clerk of a club because they would run at the same time. The limits on certain clubs also helps because it ensures that there aren’t too many clubs that are similar and if they are, they just combine with each other. There also weren’t super legit clubs last year as some of them would meet once every month, and there was no end goal for the club. I think having clubs for everyone is important because school isn’t always something you want to do, and to have a club or an extracurricular being something you look forward to is an important balance to have.
Leila Wang • Oct 15, 2024 at 8:52 am
I personally think that it is a good idea but maybe just for the new club clerks who want to start a club, and the existing club clerks should not have to do it because they already have the information that is being shared. I hope that this new process works because last year I was looking forward to some clubs but they just eventually fizzled out through the year, so I hope that all the clubs this year are more consistent. I think that clubs are important because they help students have a life at school outside of classes and just being with their friends. Clubs help students find more people who are interested in the same things, creating friendships that last the rest of high school.
Hannah • Oct 14, 2024 at 9:24 am
Amazing article, Anjali! Looking forward to seeing you writing during Cappies!
Maya • Oct 13, 2024 at 8:35 pm
Great article, Anjali! 🙂