Clubs are a major part of getting yourself settled at the high school and finding your niche, and that can be daunting, especially for people (read: sophomores) who don’t even know what they like. More often than not, we end up surprising ourselves, and the interests we used to have are not the ones we discover. 

Fortunately, the Activity Fair offers guidance in the confusing process of aligning your interests with your extracurriculars, but is also ironically more chaotic than lunch period 7. Within seconds of stepping foot into the cafeteria, I found myself in the middle of a stream of students that rushed past in all directions, clutching onto stacks of fliers as they jostled their way through the throng. Almost every club in the school represented itself proudly with huge banners along the perimeter of the room, using the tried-and-true tactic of screaming at underclassmen while simultaneously offering them candy to convince them to join. 

While luring children with candy is a slightly unsavory message to be suggesting, I did receive two twizzlers and a fortune cookie (thank you, Class Council and Asian Club), so I can verify that it is in fact an excellent tactic.

Some clubs, like International Club, were so passionate about creating the next generation of presidents and members that their excitement was on the verge of fanaticism. They stood on tables and chairs and eagerly jumped at the sight of the camera, evidently wanting to cash in on some free advertising. Future Business Leaders of America even began a chant of “F-B-L-A!” that was a very accurate representation of the club as a whole. 

Other clubs were more reserved in their recruitment but no less passionate. Academic Team held up a poster depicting the head of its former captain pasted onto a drawing of a buzzer-wielding octopus, patiently waiting for people to wander along. Crescendo, a club for students who love music, gave people a taste of their talent with a guitar performance by Adaeze Njoku. If the interest meetings and fliers all seem to blend together, then the multitude of personalities in the room at the very least give students a sense of the types of groups they would fit into. 

Two years ago, I remember giving out my email to dozens of clubs that I never joined and still receive emails from to this day, but that’s the beauty of the Activity Fair: it opens so many doors that you might find yourself in one you never would have imagined. It is without a doubt a hub of bustle and excitement that offers the rare opportunity to explore all of your options, laying them out in front of you not in the form of lists and applications, but through real, passionate people.