Across the globe, millions of students in K-12 schools immerse themselves into after school clubs, looking for groups of students who share similar passions. We can definitely say that the same occurs here at Morris Hills. To introduce clubs to the new and returning students each fall, Morris Hills High School hosts the Club Fair, which is an event held to introduce students to a variety of different clubs offered at the school. This is geared to attract the new scarlet knights, who are typically eager to add a large number of clubs to their fresh resume, and also other students intrigued in pursuing an extracurricular activity related to their interests. This year, we had over 35 clubs manage a table within the main gym, each swarmed by bustling crowds of interested students.

Getting students to join clubs is a whole different feat in comparison to gaining attraction. Table leaders and advisors try their best to retain past members and recruit new ones by using a multitude of strategies. Mrs. Mary Paulson, a Spanish teacher here at Morris Hills, was able to share some of her strategies that she uses to create student retention in the clubs she advises, which are the MH HOPE and MH Pride clubs. Mrs. Paulson believes that using a great deal of word of mouth is effective, and adds that “newspaper coverage, student created posters, and we have students who are familiar with MH HOPE present to share their interests and experiences with MH HOPE.” Students who hold board positions in these clubs also formulate strategies to create a larger club body.

As a senior in the Academy and President of four clubs, Prathamesh Trivedi has quite a bit of experience when it comes to management. He is currently president of DECA, Academic Decathlon, Math Club, and Physics Club. His approach to captivating the student body is by using “interactive or impressive materials’.’ Prathamesh shares that “the Van de Graaff Generator that the Physics Club brings to the fair every year is in general very popular,” which is an interactive material that helps to engage the audience.

For next year, Mrs. Paulson and Prathamesh were able to suggest improvements that they think would really help to benefit the clubs and student body as a whole. Many students absent on the day of the event will find themselves missing out on key information on clubs in which they are interested in participating. To fight this undercoverage, Mrs. Paulson suggests that “students who are unable to attend for any reason could then have access to the various opportunities for club membership in Morris Hills. It could be as simple as a slideshow with club descriptions and GT opportunities with QR codes or links to membership forms and Google Classroom.” Prathamesh was able to bring up another opinion to the table, where he discussed easier access within the event itself. He adds that “by organizing the clubs by subject, students will be able to find the clubs they would like to participate in through a more structured fashion.”

Overall, the Club Fair is a relatively successful event, with each club involved almost always adding to their roster of students. These opportunities are truly able to bring out the best in each of the students involved, and allow them to shine.