acebook may have something to do with the success. Theatre 308 and GSA have their own Facebook groups they use to invite the whole school to join. Clubs that create Facebook groups can increase numbers. Students tend to check their Facebook accounts more than they check the school bulletin boards or bother to log onto their DHS email accounts.
Another club that looks unlikely to stick around is the Darien Animal Welfare Group (DAWG). The club was founded in 2008. Although DAWG is still hoping to pull together some limited events, the club will no longer hold monthly meetings due to lack of interest.
“I wish we could have made a go of it since there are so many organizations that need DAWG’s help. The annual holiday pet food drive, for example, supplied hundreds of pounds of food to area shelters. The animals are the ones who will suffer,” former DAWG faculty adviser Stacey Wilkins said.
Biology teacher Sean Otterspoor has witnessed many clubs fail to survive. “The way clubs usually start out is through a common idea between students. After those students have graduated from high school however, the club tends to lose their dynamic leaders, and often times the club goes into “zombie mode,” Mr Otterspoor said.
e remembers many clubs that have fallen by the wayside. “At the old high school, we used to have a Students Helping Community Club, which was later renamed to SHOCK. From that idea stemmed the Vegetarian Club, but the people running those two clubs were the same, and when they left the high school, their ideas did too,” Mr Otterspoor said.
Nancy Herman, an English and drama teacher, however, believes that clubs are more successful when run by students. “One reason for 308’s success, I believe, is because the organization is – in large part – student run. The 308 members elect their own officers and have a big voice in saying how the organization operates; what shows it produces, what events it plans, etc,” Ms Herman said.
Senior Spanish Club president Elsa Imbimbo is excited for the club to begin this year. She plans to hold some cool events to keep the faltering group alive. “The Spanish Club goes further into Spain’s culture than what the foreign language curriculum teaches,” Imbimbo says. “We bring in food, and we’re hoping to continue salsa lessons like we did last year.” However, students that excel or are just interested in learning more about foreign languages, should sign up for these after school clubs, which meet at least once every week or two, making them flexible for hectic schedules.
o while you’re on your way to the café to get a bacon egg and cheese, stop by the bulletin board and check out the clubs, or better yet, fill it up with fliers and your ideas on which clubs you’d like to see at DHS.
School Clubs In Need Of Makeover
Model UN, DAWG, and others search for more support
Melanie Tzenova - 10/10
More by Melanie Tzenova
fter the last bell rings to signal the end of class, many DHS students seem to migrate towards the D-wing, where they change into sports uniforms and run to the field to warm up for practice.
The rest of the population is on its way home to finish homework or take a nap after an exhausting day back at school. I’m, however, on my way to B-315, known after school as the Future Problem Solvers club (FPS), where I’m joined by three other members. The FPS club is not the only club here struggling to survive as it sees less and less members showing up each year. Clubs are constantly failing to get the participation they need to be successful.
Model UN faces the same quandary as FPS. “Last year, we had 10 members, which included five seniors. Now that we’re beginning a new school year, our club is going to suffer tremendously if we don’t get more members, and we may not be able to go to the Model UN conference,” senior Model UN president Olivia Taylor said.
The Model UN conference takes place in New York City in May. The event features schools from all over the world who come together to discuss and debate international issues. The neon pink and green fliers for the Model UN club can be seen plastered all over the school in an effort to revive this sputtering organization.
his year, many students may have noticed tables set up for clubs and activities fair on Sept. 24. This event was held during all lunches for clubs to get their name out. Each club had a table, in which there was a sign-up sheet and fliers that they passed around. In many cases however, the clubs have been able to fill up their sign-up sheets by passing out candy to lure students into their clubs.
Assistant Principal Donna Russo says not all clubs struggle. She said the groups guaranteed to draw the most members are usually the same every year. “Theatre 308 has always been going strong, as well as Eco-Citizens, Gay- Straight Alliance (GSA), Support Our Soldiers (SOS), Teen Peaceworks, and Build On, which supports schools giving back,” Mrs Russo said.
