Alec Austin ’19, James Tang ’18: With a large majority of clubs in previous years meeting during lunch, the new block schedule features a revolving set of two lunches, making it difficult for club members to find a common meeting time and forcing clubs to reevaluate their approaches.
Head of Upper School, Mike Letts, states, “Club and activity time is a big concern of mine. Like others, I worry about the lack of time and we’re looking at ways to get some of that back for next year and even possibly later this year.” Letts believes that there could be tweaks within the new schedule and is open to all ideas from students or faculty members. If these changes allow more accessible free periods, clubs would be able to meet more often. This could lead to clubs lasting longer and being more productive.
After experiencing difficulties scheduling meeting times for her club, Emma Sargent ‘18, Co-President of Young Politicians, says, “Ultimately, I’ve had to be really creative coming up with meeting times for my clubs just to ensure their survival. My only worry is that freshmen and sophomores with preconceived notions of what they like to do won’t have the same opportunity that I had to try out different clubs and explore my interests, and will instead pursue fewer activities in high school.”
Schuyler Kresge ‘18, who is the leader of five Upper School clubs including Chapel Rock and Chess Club, also explains, “The schedule’s changes to club meeting times has affected the smallest clubs the most, as many do not have the numbers to meet during a split lunch.”
However, Cheryl Mclauchlan disagrees with this opinion, stating, “Smaller clubs will have it easier because they may be able to meet during flex time.”
Larger clubs like Scholium, Student Council, and Vestry have been allotted their own times to meet during activity period. And, while this time is designated to these clubs, smaller clubs whose members are not otherwise involved are able to meet during activity as well. Letts elaborates, “When Student Council and Vestry meet, other clubs can meet during that time as well because that only involves around 35 students. When college guidance meets they are not meeting every grade so they can sometimes meet during those times.”
Cheryl McLauchlan, V Form Dean, adds, “Clubs are going to have to get creative about when they meet.” She also believes that students will need to sacrifice personal time during the school day, domino or activity block, to keep clubs functioning. Otherwise, the new schedule will inevitably force clubs to die out.