Arcadia High School’s annual Clubs Day was held on Sept. 15 in the Rally Court during lunch. With over 70 clubs to choose from, students were able to join the clubs that best fit their interests. This gave them the opportunity to learn about what each has to offer, whether that be managing money, learning about different cultures, discussing STEM topics, or working for the community around us.
Clubs Day felt like a rush, with hundreds of students gathered together, either leading or applying for a new club. Club representatives walked around distributing mini flyers and giving a small overview of their club’s purpose, gaining students’ attention.
The first section was for interest clubs; there were clubs ranging from esports to fashion, and even food science. These are the more miscellaneous clubs, but they still provide ways to further interact with what students want to do.
There were multiple ways clubs grabbed student attention. A prime example of this was when Arcadia Esports used a TV with video games to attract students.
“I feel that the games on the TV somewhat drew people toward the club booth to see what was going on. But the biggest effect is that it gets people at the booth to stay and talk with the officers or learn more about the club and the teams,” said senior Katelyn Yu, the Co-President of Arcadia Esports. “We’ve had this set up with the TV for the past couple years, so there isn’t a noticeable change in recruitment from previous years. But we still managed to recruit almost 100 people, although we will be holding more formal sign ups in our meetings.”
The second section consisted of service clubs. These organizations include Affinity for Animals, Red Cross Club, Habitat for Humanity, Kare for Kids, and Mental Health Awareness Club. Helping the community and environment around us, students who are passionate about giving Arcadia the absolute best might consider joining these clubs.
In the third section, there were STEM clubs. As the name suggests, this section consisted of the Sports Medicine, Astrophysics, Chemistry, GenAI, and Pre-Med Clubs. These clubs dive deep into the science and health studies that revolve around topics such as mixtures, medical knowledge, and AI.
The fourth section was civics clubs. They cover many real world ideas, such as money management, trial, United Nations, and journalism. These clubs help engage students to learn about the expectations of adulthood.
The final section was for culture and identity clubs, consisting of multiple culture clubs available for students to choose from. With clubs such as Arcadia Muslim Club, Chinese Culture Club, or Fellowship of Christian Athletes, students can have a better understanding of different cultures and beliefs.
“The clubs at Clubs Day all had interesting tri-fold displays, which caught my attention as I went through the rows,” freshman Howie Li stated. “Some clubs, such as the Esports Club and LEO Club brought creative items to grab attention. I was surprised by the TV which the Esports Club had, and the tiger costumes that the LEO Club leaders were wearing [were] extremely funny.”
When asked how the LEO Club will help welcome new members, Publicity Director sophomore Thomas Shi stated, “We just have to create a safe environment for them.” Shi also stated that LEO Club hopes to focus on making a fun and comfortable atmosphere so students won’t feel awkward.
Clubs Day was definitely a success as students were eager to participate and join a variety of groups. We wish all the club officers and members a good school year ahead!
