COVID-19 has had a large impact on schools across the world. Procrastination problems, technology issues, and adapting to new environments have proven to be great challenges for every kid. In high school, however, kids are involved in so much more than school. From taekwondo to trivia, debate to drama, swimming to sculpting, and piano to poetry, extracurriculars take up many hours for high schoolers who are looking to gain new experiences before heading off to college. In particular, many high school students are looking to start new activities and inspire change in their local communities. At Interlake High School, many high schoolers have taken initiative and started their own clubs this school year, but COVID-19 has made it immensely difficult to do so.
Junnie Kim, a junior, is the founder of Interlake Mediatric Association, a club that works with the International Alzheimer’s Association to provide students with access to STEM-based volunteer opportunities and internships. Though she is happy with how far her club has come this fall, as they have recently begun meetings, Junnie explained that she faced challenges in marketing her club. If school was in-person, posters and announcements would have been a sufficient way to bring students to join Interlake Mediatric Association. Because those methods were not possible options this year, Junnie learned how to “strategically use Instagram” to build up her club. However, Junnie does think that there are some benefits to online club-forming. Even by only working together online, Junnie and her officers have developed a strong sense of community in forming a club that they are all passionate about. Junnie excitedly said, “If we can manage to create a club without seeing each other in person for months, our team can endure almost anything!”
Many other club founders would agree that club-forming during this time is not the easiest task. Natalie Mckenzie, a sophomore, recently started the Biotechnology Club at Interlake, which provides students different ways to explore fields in science through working in the lab. Like Junnie, Natalie felt that it was very difficult to advertise her club. “Finding club members was extremely difficult online. In school, we could’ve just put up posters and talked to classmates, but on Teams, we have to directly chat with students and ask teachers to make announcements.” Although it is easier to get guest speakers to chat with Biotechnology Club members online, Natalie is disappointed that she cannot engage her club members in labs, which she was really looking forward to.
However, some clubs are doing better than others. Raza Khan, a sophomore, is the founder of Interlake Graphic Design Club. Though the Interlake Graphic Design Club also faced challenges in advertising, Raza explained how the ongoing pandemic did not really change his club. He said that “not much would be different in person because we specialize in digital graphic design.” Some things clearly work better in a virtual world than others.
Overall, Junnie, Natalie, and Raza have all noticed a surprising influx in clubs at Interlake this year. Though Natalie and Raza believe that the influx of clubs is a result of the extra downtime that high schoolers have with school being online, Junnie thinks that high schoolers are all just “itching to do something, whether it’s finding a new show on Netflix or taking up a new hobby. And honestly, why not? Trying to combat the feeling of potential loneliness at home with a new project is always fun!” Congratulations to these club founders who have found ways to overcome and adapt to our changing world, while also sharing their passions with one another.