By James, ’27
Last week, all Harvard-Westlake Upper School students gathered around the football field during Community Time for the Activities Fair. Hundreds of students represented dozens of clubs, holding up informational posters and encouraging their peers to sign up.
As a tenth grader, I am new to the Upper School, and I was a bit overwhelmed. How many clubs should I sign up for? What if I sign up for too many or too few? Where do I sign up? When do the clubs meet? Countless questions flooded my mind. But I was also excited.
My friends and I began walking around the field, discussing the different student run clubs and organizations we were interested in joining. We noticed some obscure clubs, like a Crumbl Cookie tasting club, and a Rocketry Club, as well as some classics, like Peer Support and the Environmental Club. In addition, there were many affinity groups representing a variety of student identities.
We walked a full lap to get a sense of all the clubs available. Then I walked up to a club I was interested in, Science Olympiad, and tried to sign up. But I was confused—there was no paper or sign-up sheet. “How do I sign up?” I asked. The leaders informed me that a google form would be sent out after the fair with a list of every club. I would simply select all the ones I wanted to join and submit the form. This efficient system gave me freedom to simply gather information and speak to the leaders so that I could learn more about each activity before the form was released.
While exploring the fair, I found out that you can sign up for many clubs, even more than you intend to attend. Most students go to the first meetings of between five and ten clubs, and then continue on with the ones they enjoy most. I also learned that some clubs meet during lunch, others during Community Time, and others after school. This gives people freedom to participate in more clubs and affinity groups than they would be able if they all met during the same period.
Personally, I signed up for a menagerie of clubs, including the Marine Biology Club, Jewish Affinity Group, Cadence for a Cause, Slam Poetry, and Stonecutters (the literary magazine), among others. I am not yet sure which of these I will stick with through my three years at the upper school, but I look forward to attending their meetings and learning more about them.
Yes, the Activities Fair may seem intimidating and hectic at first, but it’s also incredibly exciting and interesting to learn about all the opportunities available to you. After attending the Activities Fair, I am eagerly anticipating the rest of my Upper School journey.
