If you’re a student at Lexington High School, you’ve likely gone through the experience of seeing two separate club offerings and wondering, “What’s the difference?”
There are currently around 170 clubs at LHS, as the administration saw an influx of new club proposals during this school year. With the number of clubs steadily increasing, LHS has too many clubs to the point where they have become confusing for the students and a burden for the administration.
As they enter a new school, freshmen are likely already overwhelmed when going through all the club options. Imagine their confusion when they see two or more clubs that seem to do similar things. How do they know which one to choose if they all sound the same?
Moreover, the existence of clubs with similar goals takes opportunities away from those that want to establish a new club. For example, there are many clubs that work to feed people in need, but do they need to be separate clubs when they have similar missions? They should instead merge into a larger club with different sections, incorporating each club’s values. This makes room for clubs with separate interests that appeal to a new group of students.
“Clubs represent the micro-communities where kids can find their place,” Michael Horesh, the Dean of Students at LHS, said.
Additionally, there are a limited number of days for clubs to meet, which means some students can’t go to all the meetings of the clubs they’re a part of.
“I think you know you have too many clubs when people want to go to more than they can and actually have enough time to manage,” Melody Zou, a sophomore and leader of Quiz Bowl, said.
This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the clubs themselves, but it is something to consider when thinking about the large number of clubs at LHS.
Each club takes up space, time, and resources, so the more clubs that get proposed on top of pre-existing ones, the more work the administration has to do to keep up.
“That first month of school consumes a significant amount of my time and energy, which would otherwise go towards working with kids and connecting with them,” Horesh said. “But the more consuming it becomes, the less of those other responsibilities that I have and I’m available to do.”
It’s important to remember that teachers who advise clubs also have their own lives outside of school. The limited amount of resources and time simply can’t keep up with the increasing club activity without taking away from other important aspects of the school. Unless we are able to support existing clubs at LHS, it will be difficult to incorporate new ones into the already long lists of clubs and activities that the school has to offer.
Nonetheless, clubs are an important part of any school community because they give students the opportunity to be a part of unique and inclusive communities. New clubs representing innovative ideas should still be proposed to the administration, as they add to the diversity of the school.
“The more rich the variety of clubs that we have, the greater the opportunities to connect with every kid at LHS. I think for me, that’s the point,” Horesh said.
