With AUSD classes taking place online this year, students may be struggling to find a way to remain involved in extracurricular activities. Clubs can’t post flyers around campus anymore, and with the pandemic, it’s impossible to hold in-person team tryouts. In the general confusion of remote learning, it’s become too easy to miss out on extracurricular opportunities. Luckily, there’s a new way to stay updated in the time of distance learning—the AHS mobile app.

According to the AHS App Development team, the goal of the app was that it would be a “convenient and efficient way to access school announcements and deadlines for students.” Although the team was started in 2017, the current app was developed at the start of 2020. 

The app, which is ready for download on both the App Store and the Google Play Store, offers a simple way for students to catch up on school events in isolation. General content ranges from everything to coronavirus updates, to club chartering, to virtual college visits over Zoom. The Featured page promotes the new block bell schedule and various district contests. The app also provides links to the Arcadia Wellness Center, where students and parents can find helpful resources on topics such as social justice, anxiety, and depression. 

But by far, the most convenient aspect of the AHS mobile app is the virtual Student Bulletin, which concentrates all school-related news into categories: Academics, Athletics, Clubs, Colleges, and Reference. If you’re looking to participate in an online debate forum, then look under Academics for the link. Wondering if sports will make a comeback in the spring? Stay updated with the Athletics page. Those interested in leadership might seek to charter their club under the Clubs section, while Colleges invites students grades 9-12 to participate in campus tours and application essay workshops. And if you want to contact your teacher or counselor, all of that information is available under Reference. 

As a bonus, the app also provides specific dates and times. For example, entrance into the International Public Policy Forum reads two weeks from now, while the Tri-M Informational Meeting has already passed with a “four weeks ago” next to the announcement. The app also highlights unread announcements. Users have the choice of turning on post notifications and can bookmark pages for later use. 

The AHS mobile app is one of the most practical ways to stay on top of extracurricular activities in quarantine; at a time when it’s natural to feel lonely without your peers, it’s even more important to get involved in activities outside of regular class. 

“We have many future plans for the app that are already in the works,” the team added. “Of many, our current top priority is to integrate ID cards and ASB/Athletic purchases by working closely with the district and the administration. We don’t have a timeline for when the feature will be released but we hope to release it by the end of the school year at the absolute latest.”

If students are unable to download the app, the Student Bulletin is also available on the official AHS website.

Graphic courtesy of AUSD