by Liv O’Hara ’25
October 31, 2023
The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press.
Following the Club and Organization fair held earlier this month, USN students have brought attention to the increasing number of clubs. Many feel that this large number of clubs is a negative thing, that it waters down the real work of the clubs or creates redundancies. However, they are very beneficial to our high school community.
The process of creating a club at USN is fairly simple, which has led to a large number of clubs with diverse interests. Students are not limited to the amount of clubs they can sign up for, which allows them to be a part of numerous communities at USN.
USN has roughly 47 clubs and 19 organizations (“Orgs”) available for students to join. Clubs and orgs create communities of students with similar interests.
I think our diverse selection of clubs displays the many interests held by USN students and their willingness to share that with others. I think the accessibility of making a club creates a more inclusive environment and provides students with clubs for nearly all of their interests.
Dara Udom ‘24 is involved in clubs and orgs. She is vice president of the Black Student Union, a co-leader for Habitat for Humanity, a founding member for the Album Club, and a leader of CORE. Udom noted the communities she has found through clubs and orgs.
“I really enjoy the fact that there are so many people that are able to join every club,” Udom said. “I am a senior and I interact with so many underclassmen that I would probably never talk to. I remember when I was a freshman I got to know a lot of the seniors from joining clubs like the album club and feminism club.”
Similarly, Meer Aban ‘24 recognizes the benefits of the diverse selection of clubs at USN.
“I think that it really helps people get accustomed to high school at USN, especially people who come to high school like me. It definitely would’ve been better for me to join clubs my freshman year because there’s a lot of friendship and camaraderie in the clubs and it’s all in all really helpful,” Aban said.
Ansley Martin ‘27 agreed with Aban that clubs have proved helpful to ease her transition into high school.
Club leaders like Madeline Chalos ‘25 – one of the three leaders of the Roblox Club – have similarly benefitted from the community found within clubs.
“The Roblox Club really helped me meet some of my favorite people.” Chalos said. “We get a lot of support, I thought the Roblox Club wasn’t really going to go anywhere but it’s really taken off and we’ve gained a great group of people.”
The abundance of clubs could lead to issues of students overcommitting themselves or clubs stepping on each other’s toes. However, I think the diverse selection of clubs allows students to share their interests and knowledge with other students.
