Just as much as gossip around the lunch table and bullies shoving nerds into lockers are engraved into traditional high school dynamics, so are clubs.
Clubs are a staple in any high school. Whether they’re focused around charity, data science, or anime, student organizations dedicated to specific interests are integral to the high school experience.
But underneath a rosy ideal of slideshow presentations and community service projects, clubs hide a dark secret: reality. It is common knowledge that these student-run groups often don’t run smoothly.
Sometimes they don’t turn in their minutes. Sometimes the discussion dissolves into friend group drama. And sometimes they don’t meet at all.
Is it apathy? Is it a lack of resources?
The answer is a combination of these different factors. I am personally a witness to the difficulties facing multiple clubs on campus.
The first among them in my mind is the Cal High Shark Tank Club. While I do not know the current state of the club, they struggled during the one meeting I attended.
In their own words, the Cal High Shark Tank Club “…helps students with essential skills to incubate ideas and start an entrepreneurial journey.”
I’m sure that this is normally a wonderful goal that inspires club members to push for innovation and creativity.
But on the same day in November, when they met in AP European History teacher Chris Doherty’s room to brainstorm progress for the future, club members were met with a much larger crowd than they expected – because lunch detention was scheduled in Doherty’s room at that time.
Now, I wasn’t there to serve my time. I was just hanging out with the guys. Regardless, what I witnessed was simply depressing.
The club leaders could barely get people to be quiet for 30 seconds, much less keep their attention. While the presenters were trying to get members to visualize an idea for an invention, all of the students there to serve their detention talked over them as much as possible.
It was almost cartoonish. It would take a good half minute of yelling from club leaders to silence the crowd, but in the middle of their instruction, one person would start talking and cause everyone to begin yapping again before the presenters were even done.
I admire that they never gave up trying to lead the meeting, though.
In the next story of woe, we move from the rambunctious halls of the club meeting to the smoky back rooms of power. That is, the emails sent to and between club presidents.
As you may be aware, club presidents often receive communications from both administrative and student leadership, with topics ranging from friendly words of encouragement to even friendlier reminders that clubs who don’t turn in their minutes face being shut down.
One of these emails was of the less threatening sort, sent by ASB equity lead Anushri Das on March 7, it was proposed the school host the wonderful idea of a cultural night market.
The email indicated this was a joint idea proposed by leadership and Cal’s ethnic studies program.
“The event is open to the full community with the intention of displaying and celebrating the diversity at Cal High,” Das wrote in his email.
A great opportunity to connect Cal’s diverse community to both its unique cultural heritages and that of our neighbors, this event seemed perfect to connect with others, their cultural stories, and their wallets (a stated purpose of the event was to be a fundraiser for clubs). All of this and more was planned for the night of April 23.
So, now that we’re a few weeks past the day, why haven’t we seen a cultural night market in the quad? Fear not, for The Californian has the answer.
“The cultural night market has been canceled. The event depends on the involvement of Cal High clubs to make it happen,” leadership adviser Troy Bristol wrote.
“We did not get enough response/interest from clubs to be involved so we were forced to cancel it.” Shame on you, Cal High clubs. You were relied on to “make it happen,” and you failed. You let Bristol down.
For better or worse, clubs are a staple on Cal’s campus. Despite their flaws and failings, we’d be much worse without them, and it’s important to remember that club leaders are just teenagers trying their best.
Well, unless you just founded a club for college applications. That’s just boring.
