Fieldston prides itself on its ability to allow students to explore their interests through various unique ways. One only needs to look at the various electives offered for history, English or science, the multiple sports teams available during each season and the litany of arts classes you can take, which even allow students to major in them. We should not take for granted that we as students have a lot of say in our academic and extracurricular journeys at Fieldston. Although the number of choices is certainly appreciated, at times it can feel overwhelming. And that’s how I felt at this year’s Club Fair.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. It was vast and sprawling and packed into a tiny cafeteria. This year, there were more than one hundred registered and approved clubs represented at the club fair, and it showed for those who attended the club fair, with the noise particularly adding to the overwhelming and claustrophobic environment. In addition to the packed and confined location, the number of clubs present at this year’s club fair also led to an overabundance of choices, leading to bellowing club leaders vying for your attention long enough to get you to sign up. Popular ways of doing this included offering sweets, having a fun interactive activity or demonstratively yelling at you. Because of this, the fair wasn’t as impressive as in years past. It needed to be more subdued. It needed to be about engaging people to both join their club as well as attend its meetings.
There needs to be more selectivity. There need to be fewer clubs. There needs to be a greater merging of similar clubs. While it’s great that the school gives each student the opportunity to create their own club and carve out a niche for themselves, in order to make the club fair and club experience better in general, the school should be a little more practical. Not everyone should be a club leader. Sometimes people can be very happy by simply participating with enthusiasm and purpose. It is better to have fewer clubs with greater membership participation that succeed and acquire some longevity, than by having one thousand clubs that fail.
