On Wednesday, September 17th, during lunch, San Marcos students’ ambitions came to life in the quad as ASB hosted its biggest club rush in school history. During the event, 67 student-led clubs advertised their organizations and recruited new members through engaging and creative strategies, transforming the quad into a vibrant space for students to explore their interests and connect with like-minded people. Exceeding last year’s already impressive 55 clubs, this year’s expanded list offers students more opportunities than ever before to undertake leadership roles, delve into their unique hobbies, and pursue their passions alongside others.
Thanks to ASB’s thorough planning and the enthusiasm that club leaders brought to the event, Club Rush drew a strong turnout of students and many clubs attained over 100 sign-ups. Preparations for Club Rush began with an informational meeting on September 2nd where anyone interested in leading or starting a club could learn about the steps required to start and manage their organization. Students were then given time to refine their club’s purposes and plans, formulate budgets, find teacher advisors, and submit their club constitution and charter to ASB. The morning of the event, ASB decorated the quad with posters and set up speakers to play music. Each club was provided with a table that served as a blank canvas for their decorations and a fun, inviting space for students and leaders came to life.
“I am so thrilled to see our students stepping into leadership roles to create spaces in our SM community where students can connect and explore new interests. This year we had 67 clubs recruiting and I’ve never seen a higher turnout.” said Mr. Hiracheta, San Marcos Activities Director.
From career-oriented organizations to outdoor hobbies to social justice groups, joining an on campus club is a great opportunity for students to explore their interests outside the classroom.
“This year’s club rush was definitely insane,” said Senior and Gender and Sexuality Alliance club president Haylie Preston-Mendoza, “we got so many sign-ups and a lot of foot traffic! We’re excited to start up meetings again and create that fun and safe environment on campus for queer students and allies!”
Many clubs also provide San Marcos students with leadership, volunteer, and internship opportunities to help them gain hands-on experience or participate in community service. This can help students build up their resumes and make their college applications stronger.
When asked about the purpose and opportunities that Red Cross Club provides, club president and junior Phoebe Kunin said, “Red Cross serves our community and our campus by holding blood drives, seminars on disaster preparedness and international humanitarian law, and food drives for military veterans and the homeless. To prepare for the club rush, we made T-shirts for all of our leadership officers, graphics for our trifold board, and it went really well for us. We ended with 121 sign ups!”
With so many students eager to connect with like-minded peers, a record number of new clubs also participated in this year’s club rush.
Senior Anna Jacobsen started Model UN Club along with others, and is serving as its treasurer. “Model UN is a chance for people interested in politics, history, and government to learn more about these fields, or simply find new fields that you’re interested in through debate and research,” said Jacobsen.
With such a diverse array of clubs and exciting future plans, this is sure to be a year full of fun events and involvement.
“This year we are requiring all clubs to host school-wide events to help create a student-led campus. We’re also collecting data to see how we can maintain club membership and support of clubs for longevity,” said Hiracheta.
If you are interested in joining or starting a club but missed Club Rush, there will be a second event held at the beginning of second semester.