From a new testing schedule to half-day Fridays, plenty of policy changes welcomed students as they returned to Townsend Harris this fall, one of them being the new club-making process. In previous years, students had to submit a 20-week overview of the club, including a rundown of how each meeting would be structured. The process has now been condensed into a brief presentation and a single club creation form provided by Ms. Loew. After collecting 25 signatures and SU card numbers from prospective members, students find a staff member willing to serve as an advisor. With the form complete, students give a two-minute pitch to the consultative council, who, according to Club Liaison senior Brenden Picioane, will then vote to approve the club based on whether or not they believe it has potential.
Reflecting upon this new club-making process, junior Sadiyah Islam, co-president of the new code club (E)ST(E)EM, commented, “One obstacle we had encountered was finding an advisor. With so many people creating new clubs, many of the teachers we had initially had our eyes on had become occupied.” She explained that many students had a nerve-wracking presentation experience because of the possibility that their club may have be rejected. Junior Justin Chen, President of Young America’s Foundation, recalled, “Walking into the presentation I was very nervous as expected, but our club’s preparation for the presentation calmed my nerves the moment that we began to speak. We had made it a priority to understand our club ins and outs in order to answer any question thrown our way by the board.”
As for advice to the underclassmen that would like to make their own clubs, co-president of rhyTHm K-pop Dance Club, junior Karen Ma suggested “having a very clear plan about your club and its purpose because that’s one of the reasons why our club was liked; we were very prepared.”Justin explained how he, along with juniors James Hopkins and Arul Sharma, came “thoroughly prepared with a very comprehensive script, presentation, and a handout that detailed information such as a long and short term time table, general weekly meeting plans, and examples of possible high school initiatives our club would participate in.”
Junior Wilma Aung, co-president of Get Your Life Together, also encouraged interested students “to work with people who have the same passion as you.”
To anyone passionate about a hobby or cause not represented by an existing club, Brenden said that all are “welcome to start the club creation process.” For more information, visit the next club presentation meeting at the beginning of the second semester.
