One of my most vivid memories from freshman year was my first club fair. Despite signing up for countless clubs, I didn’t truly understand the meaning of being a club leader. I never realized how much thought was put into it. Over the past week, I talked to different club leaders to learn more about their stories and experiences.
When you think of clubs at Fieldston, Model UN or The Fieldston News may come to mind first. However, there are a myriad of new clubs. Leaders of these clubs shared how they have grown from being in a leadership position.
Layla Finn (Form IV), one of the leaders of the Banned and Booked club, remarked, “I’ve learned that you really need to take initiative as a club leader. You have to send emails, you have [to] get people to sign up, you have to organize what to do in your meetings.” Finn created Banned and Booked this year, along with three of her classmates.
Javier Jacobs (Form IV), another first-time club leader, stated, “I learned a lot of new things about how to lead people and how to present my ideas about the club.” He leads Project Sunshine, which helps kids in the hospital with long-term diseases.
The leader of the Genes In Disease and Symptoms Club (GIDAS), Monica Nikolova (Form IV), explained that she learned how to “adapt to different people’s learning styles and what works for them best.” In her club, she teaches people about genetics and neurodegenerative diseases.
Model UN is one of the most well-known clubs at Fieldston. The group attends multiple conferences throughout the year and organizes their own, Ethical MUN, at the end of the year. Dahlia Zemmel, a form VI leader, shared that “organization is everything and making sure that people stay on top of their tasks and also fostering a fun environment.” Nathaniel Rozoff (Form VI), another leader of Model UN, added, “I’ve learned that it’s really about the people in the club: It’s definitely something that goes beyond us.” The leaders have been members of Model UN since middle school.
Another renowned club is The Fieldston News. It has a large leadership team run by three editors: Saskia Sommer (Form V), Lily Saal (Form VI) and Alkis Karmpaliotis (Form VI). The News is unique since they are a publication rather than a club. Saal stated, “We like to think what we do is having a larger impact on the community.” She has written for the News since she was an underclassman. “I love being a leader,” adds Saal. On growing since becoming an Editor-in-Chief, Sommer commented, “I think that I’ve learned a lot about asserting myself and also advocating for writers and the various articles they want to pursue.”
Sylvie Poisson (Form VI) is one of the leaders of the Robinhood Giving Back Club. Robinhood works with Riverfund: a nonprofit organization that helps families below the poverty line. She has had a great experience being a club leader. She shared, “I have definitely been able to see the logistical side of things: planning events like bake sales, which is different from just participating as a member.” She thinks that it is a “rewarding experience because you get to really get your hands in the work that you’re doing.” She started leading Robinhood three years ago.
The Environmental Club has been an important part of Fieldston for many years. They work not only to educate people about climate change, but make changes on the Fieldston campus so it can be more environmentally friendly. Sophia Nathanson, one of its leaders, shared, “I’ve learned some leadership skills and I’ve also learned more about the student body… and definitely that compromise is important.” She added, “It is so amazing to be surrounded by passionate students who are interested in the same things that you are.”
Clubs and their leaders exemplify Felix Adler’s founding vision as an educator: learning through doing. They are an integral part of our ECFS community. Moreover, all of the leaders I talked to expressed their passion for their club and how much they enjoyed being a part of it. It is both a challenging and rewarding experience. Leading a club is a great opportunity to learn leadership skills and form connections with fellow students.
