Gianna Trala ‘23
Kathryn Lynn ‘22
Aaron Tang ‘24
Club meetings, like many other aspects of daily life at EA, have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As administrators and students adapt to a new schedule, student organizations have sought to reestablish their in-person club meetings. EA clubs have traditionally met during Lunch, Activity or Domino block. This year, every student is assigned to a different lunch time, so Lunch block club meetings are no longer a viable option. Additionally, with fifteen-minute passing periods for social distancing, the daily schedule no longer includes the traditional morning Activity block. Instead, the administration combined Activity and Domino from 3:00-3:30pm. As a result, the only viable option for club meetings is that 3:00-3:30 time slot. With social distancing, limited meeting spaces and rosters for contact tracing, scheduling clubs this year comes with new challenges.
Maintaining clubs even during the pandemic is critical according to Andrea Yu, a Student Council Faculty Advisor, because “clubs help people find new things they love and pull the community together.” Ashley Kim ‘23 shares, “Even though I just joined the Creative Writing Club, it has been a great way to reconnect with people after being away from EA for so long! [… I’m] so grateful for the opportunity to make friends from different grades who share the same passions, and to be able to put that passion to work in a meaningful way.”
Faculty members and club presidents have been working tirelessly to reintroduce clubs to students. During the virtual start of school, Student Council organized an online club fair, where students were able to virtually browse through each club that the Upper School offers and sign up for those that they found interesting. Following the club fair, some clubs began holding online meetings via Zoom or Google Meets.
Courtesy of Gianna Cilluffo
While helpful, this did not completely satisfy the goals of EA’s determined faculty advisors and club members who aimed to meet in-person. Students feel that online clubs have been less productive than in-person meetings from previous years. Anika Kakarla ‘23 explains, “I really like the clubs that I have been a part of, and they have always been a time for me to explore different interests. I only feel like meeting online just isn’t the same as meeting in person.” However, Head of Upper School Michael Letts explained that with the return to in-person classes and a normal sports schedule, “[the faculty] has to organize, basically, 400 students from 2:45-4:00. That provides us with a perfect opportunity for clubs and activities to meet during the Domino block.” In the past couple weeks, many of EA’s clubs have held meetings during this block.
The faculty recognized that students would be uninterested in being confined to their lounges for an hour each day, so this time was going to provide an enjoyable activity for everyone to take part in. Club presidents have often mentioned that the short meetings during activity in years past never quite gave them enough time to complete their tasks. This new, longer period has thus been beneficial to students looking to cure boredom and determined upperclassmen attempting to do group projects.
A common concern among the community is how clubs will safely be able to meet while also following social distancing protocols. Letts notes, “We can definitely find spaces [for the clubs], even for slightly larger groups. I think it depends on the club or the activity in some cases, but I think we can do most of [the clubs] in person, in a classroom or other places on campus.” In recent weeks, clubs have begun meeting in-person in pre-approved socially-distanced settings with masks. Club leaders must also provide the administration with a roster and take attendance for contact tracing.
Despite the unusual conditions, students have formed many new clubs this year, including the Upper School Unity Club, the Ski and Snowboard Club, Political Solutions, The Happiness Project, and the Medical Explorers Club. Leanna Knight ‘21, leader of the Medical Explorers Club, has many ideas on how to continue meeting with COVID-19 restrictions. She shares, “We will listen to medical professionals who will give speeches through Zoom, and [we will] meet to discuss medical service opportunities and other topics.” However, this club’s membership, like many others, exceeds the maximum number of people allowed to be in a classroom simultaneously. Social distancing guidelines may lead to clubs having to split up between a few rooms or find larger spaces such as the theater or Chapel.
The Student Council will also face more difficulty this year because the student body cannot participate in their usual activities, such as spirit week competitions and class events. Olivia Corrato ‘22, Vice President of the Junior class, shares that when the Student Council is “thinking about all the logistics of preparing events for the classes, they have to have to think of every little thing because Covid requires them to be so cautious.” Additionally, the council has a unique role this year: someone to focus on diversity and inclusion in each grade. Corrato comments that she hopes the new DEI position “will help everyone feel safe and welcomed [during class events] in order to foster a stronger sense of community.”