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What Makes a Successful Club?How qualities in clubs on campus help them become successful By Briana Lucero There are nearly 30 clubs at Coronado. Everyone involved naturally wants their club to be successful, but what does it mean for your club to be a “success”? Looking at a couple of CHS clubs, the Explorer has, well, explored the question: What are the qualities of a successful club? To investigate, we’ve identified five qualities that successful clubs possess and five clubs that are successful. Achievement What people normally hear about clubs are their accomplishments. Almost all clubs can be put in this category but Coronado’s Marching Dons work especially hard. Superior with Distinction sounds like a couple of words, but achieving that at state has a deeper meaning to the band. The whole band has a common goal; to do the best of their abilities; it takes everyone to achieve that goal. “The more you give, the more you get,” chants the Marching Band. Band goes to numerous competitions which are usually the day after a Friday football game, so Band gets a little sleep. Most of the energy comes from adrenalin and determination to be the best. They go to the competitions to qualify for state. There are different divisions depending on how big the band is. After the bands of the day perform, there is an awards ceremony. They announce them in order of performance: Poor is equivalent to a five, Good is a four, Excellent is a three, and Superior a two. To achieve a Superior with Distinction, the judges must unanimously give each section a one. Other achieving clubs to learn from: Choir, International Club, Don Fusion Activities When there is nothing to do in a club, what keeps a person in it? Activities often extend interest in a subject by letting students experience that subject in a fun way, through activities. Science Club has excelled in this area. Science is so vast it’s amazing how Science Club tries to introduce the different parts of science. They do many activities to get people interested in science. On Monday’s there is an activity or a continuation of an activity and each year they take a trip to different places. In April of 2007, they went to Catalina Island where they got to go kayaking, snorkeling, night snorkeling and to a lab where they got to touch tiger sharks and sting rays. In May of 2008, they went to Tuscon where they explored the Air and Space Museum which had different types of planes. They looked at the stars at Kitts Peak Observatory. The students, then, got to sleep over at Reid Park Zoo and learn about enrichment for animals to keep them from getting bored. They also explored the caves at Kartchner Caverns and walked around the Sonoran Desert Museum. In May of 2009, they went to San Diego, dissected squid twice, went to Body World, Birch Aquarium and had a sleep over at Sea World, then explored it the next day. Other clubs that succeed with activities: S.O.H.A., Service Learning, and many other clubs at Coronado Teamwork Working as a team is important in any of the clubs but for some, it is the most important. Best Buddies Club depends on teamwork to help make them successful. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that came to Coronado three years ago. Best Buddies look for peer buddies that are responsible because they will be mentoring their Buddy, the mentally challenged student. It takes leadership to be a Peer Buddy, and just being a friend to those who need it. Best Buddies has an all club lunch every month and participate in monthly activities. For the month of November they will be going to Zoo Lights to hang out with their Buddy. To bring the Buddies together it is important that the Peer Buddies meet and hang out with their Buddies outside of school to create a bond. A good quality of a Peer Buddy is to have them outgoing, someone who can bring out the personality of their Buddy. Most importantly, a Peer Buddy must be committed. Having someone who leaves their buddy behind is not a good experience for anyone. They want someone who is there and will work to make the club and friendship stronger. Other team working clubs to learn from: Ballet Folklorico, JAG, and Student Government Niche Sometimes you don’t really choose the club, it chooses you. Sometimes you try as hard as you can to find that club for you and it never comes, and sometimes it just happens. The Japanese Anime Manga Club, also known as JAM, accepts many types of people. They meet every Wednesday at lunch in Mrs. Farretta’s room. Many know the different types of Anime and Manga but some don’t. Many join because of this lack of knowledge. The club members are very accepting of who joins and has an interest. One of the wonders of the club is how they interest students, because most members hear about JAM from friends and join with them. Every Wednesday during lunch they gather around a computer to watch the recently popular Anime, “Axis Powers Hetalia”. They also have started to play games, such as charades to include everyone. It is important to be open and try new things, never give up. Other clubs that you may find a Niche in: Library Club, International Club Helpfulness There are a few clubs that help around the community with their services. Helping the community gives more notice and meaning to that club. If you find interests in helping, Key Club is an excellent example. Anyone can join Key Club because there is no application process unlike some clubs. Some students feel that this club helps them become a better person. Key Club recently trick-or-treated from UNICEF, where students collected change for kids in need. Every “little bit” helps. Being a helpful club not only helps out the community but creates a better image for Coronado. Other examples of helpful clubs: National Honors Society, Service Learning |
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