The end of the school year marks a significant transition for student clubs. As the academic year winds down, clubs across the school initiate their annual process of sending out forms for members who wish to apply for leadership roles for the upcoming year.
The application process varies depending on the club. Different clubs include their sponsor while others don’t. Applications for a general school club are completed through a Google form that asks personal and educational questions revolving around leadership. Patriot Ambassadors, an example of a student organization club requires voting from the club members to choose their board.
Senior Emma Yuan served as DECA and Rotary Intact co-president. The DECA board application included questions regarding the reasons for the chosen position, future commitments, previous club participation and suggestions for club improvement. According to Yuan, the decision-making was quick, as the presidents had thought about it all year.
Club applications may require qualifications to be considered for the position. “Qualities should include intelligence, hard work, determination, kindness and empathy,” Yuan said.
To be on a club board, leadership skills are necessary. A good leader has strong communication, integrity, vision, empathy and the ability to inspire and motivate others. A good leader can also take the club to the next level with ideas of progress. According to Yuan, as a co-president, her responsibilities included planning meetings, planning events and leading meetings.
Sophomore Sanaya Dixit is the treasurer of the Women’s Rising Club. Dixit said that the requirements for the treasurer role include making responsible financial decisions, participating actively in the club and having a passion for pinpointing areas where fundraised money can be donated to help women in need.
Honors biology and forensic science teacher Miranda Custer sponsors three clubs: Harmonica Hooligans, Coloring Conversations and United for Ukraine. She also coaches varsity flag football and JV girls’ lacrosse. She has no voice in the decision-making for the clubs she sponsors. “I don’t even know what the process of choosing club executive boards is,” Custer said.
Co-presidents and seniors Anna Lizondo and Rachel Reinstein, along with the Jewish Student Union, involved their sponsor when selecting their executive board for next year. “My co-president and I got together with Mr. Salzman and we discussed, and that’s how we kind of chose the next leaders for next year,” Lizondo said.
The Breakfast Club consulted with its executive board to decide on replacements. According to President Anna Lizondo, with the consultation of the entire board, they assessed member activity and the level of participation they contributed. The Breakfast Club’s board had its members chosen by May 9, which also served as the deadline for submitting new club applications.
The Women’s Rising Club’s process for selecting new members took them a week and a half. “Once the deadline for the application had passed, we had to review the applicants’ responses as well as verify their active participation in the club,” Dixit said.
Although the school’s clubs select their next executive board in different ways, they all share the same goal: providing members the opportunity to showcase their leadership skills and suggest improvement ideas that will benefit their club.
