COVID-19 brings new clubs and policies

By Jeehee Kim Nov. 3, 2021

Courtesy of Yearbook

Club rush week—an event where clubs introduce their activities and programs and encourage students to sign up—occurred from Sept. 20 to Sept. 24. Since it has been a while since students have come back to school in person, club policies have changed and many new clubs have appeared.

Currently, the school has 77 clubs, including Key Club, Leland Business Association, 4K and Leland American Red Cross. Since there are many clubs, the Associated Student Body (ASB) decided to extend club rush to four days. Each club had two days to promote itself either on Tuesday and Thursday or Wednesday and Friday. Another club rush is scheduled to occur during the beginning of the second semester.

“The reason we have club rush in the second semester is because club participation dies down in the second semester as students’ schedules and interests change. Therefore, we want to offer clubs a second chance to recruit and share their work with our students,” Meg Walsh, Activities Director said.

However, since the school already has numerous clubs, it is difficult for students to find an advisor for their new clubs, leading students to drop their clubs.

“Since teachers are already advising many clubs, it is hard for new clubs to find advisors. However, I love seeing clubs like 4K and Glee grow and develop, and I am glad that many new clubs appeared this year,” Walsh said.

One of the new clubs this year is Leland Good Samaritans of Silicon Valley (GSSV), a chapter of the GSSV organization. GSSV focuses on having service days to provide food for homeless people, giving community service hours to students and providing opportunities for students to meet new people.

Juniors Vanessa Qu and Anahita Kashani Gregg

advertise the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club.

Cindy Zhao Photo

GSSV focuses on having service days to provide food for homeless people, giving community service hours to students and providing opportunities for students to meet new people.

“We started this chapter because we wanted to raise awareness on homelessness while providing leadership and volunteer opportunities to students. During our first meeting, we went over the constitution, budget and future activities we will do in the club,” Junior Thy Nguyen said.

Another new club this year is Bookmarked. After club members read a book of their choosing, they have various discussions based on the book.

“During summer break, my friend Junior Katy Touretsky, founder of Bookmarked, proposed to start a book club this year. I loved the idea, so we started brainstorming ideas and activities to do. As a co-founder of Bookmarked, I hope that we connect with others that share our love for reading,” Junior Angelica Butta said.

The advisor for Bookmarked, Samantha Peters, English Department, determined the club activities worth supporting since she described Butta and Touretsky as passionate students in reading and very oriented. The fact that Peters herself also has a huge interest in reading was also an important factor for her in becoming an advisor for Bookmarked.

In contrast, Leland American Red Cross is a club that has existed for several years. Similar to previous years, the club is focusing on preparing the community for natural disasters, providing community service opportunities and assisting victims of crises. During their first meeting, the club introduced its year-long goal of holding a disaster preparedness workshop for the Almaden community and fundraising at least 100 dollars per semester for humanitarian organizations.

Junior Soojin Lee carries flyers and the club's flag around

the quad to expand their outreach. Cindy Zhao Photo

“Leland American Red Cross focuses on making a meaningful impact in our community by addressing its greatest needs. The club empowers members with knowledge and life-saving skills to help prepare the school and community to respond to emergencies. The club offers a multitude of volunteer events, such as packing food for Sacred Heart or volunteering at blood drives,” Junior Soojin Lee said.

Club rush started from Sept. 20 for four days introducing clubs. Both new and returning clubs participated in club rush to introduce their clubs and recruit club members. Students spent club rush days by visiting different clubs’ booths and signing up. Many clubs are looking forward to performing more activities with their club members.

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About the Contributor

Jeehee Kim

Media Staff

Jeehee Kim is a junior at Leland High School and is currently on the Media Team. She likes to listen to music, watch movies and K-Dramas, and talk to her friends and family.