According to a new co-curricular activities application, students have a new deadline of Sunday, Sept. 15 to continue or create a club during the first semester. The second semester deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The application requires students to share their club’s purpose and potential activities. Additionally, clubs can only meet during Ac Lab once a month.
“With a rolling application throughout the year, it was difficult for us to have a consistent list to direct kids where to go,” Principal Dr. Tracey Waeckerle said. “Last year we had around 95 clubs that were listed in one place or another, but we didn’t know if all 95 of those clubs were meeting.”
Admin hopes to publicize a new list of clubs on the MHS website and print lists for teachers to display in their classrooms.
“We figured about three weeks into the school year is a fair amount of time for kids to talk to teachers, get sponsors, figure out what they want to do and fill out the application,” Dr. Waeckerle said.
Grace Dai, junior, is creating a club called Supporters of Doctors Without Borders, a chapter of the international Doctors without Border organization. The group provides free healthcare to those in need across multiple countries.
“Our goals are to raise money for Doctors Without Borders, support their causes and educate people about the importance of Doctors Without Borders,” Dai said.
Dai said she doesn’t think the new deadline will negatively impact her club.
“It’s not that much of an issue for me because I’ve been planning this club for a long time and I have a sponsor ready,” Dai said.
Since the due date for the application for first semester is Sunday, Sept. 15, the Activities Fair is pushed back to Wednesday, Sept. 25, instead of being the second week of school like last year.
“For National History Day specifically, a later Activities Fair is a little challenging because we do need to start earlier because it is an academic club,” Megan Burian, National History Day sponsor, said.
Moving the Activities Fair back poses obstacles for other clubs as well.
“The Activities Fair is now going to be after Homecoming, which makes it very difficult for us to get enough students to be able to have the dance and carnival be successful,” Kara Zonies, Student Council sponsor, said.
The club has now put up posters to advertise meetings to gain enough members to execute these plans.
“We don’t want it to look not amazing,” Zonies said.
Neptune Hardcastle, sophomore, is a member of the Marquette Theater Company, Gender and Sexuality Alliance and is planning to join the Tabletop Gaming club this year.
Hardcastle said the Activities Fair being later in the year has several setbacks.
“A couple of clubs start early in the year before the Activities Fair, so if you find a cool activity at the fair, you are going to have to start the club late,” Hardcastle said. “The best opportunity to join clubs is at the beginning so you can get to know everyone and if you join late, it’s kind of like you don’t know everyone there.”
