Clubs continue to go strong through the translation to Hybrid
Key Club, Writer’s Ink, and Pawprint continuing meeting on zoom during distance learning. Top submitted by Breana Chhay, bottom photos submitted by Karin Childress
April 16, 2021
As hybrid learning starts, clubs are determining how they will continue to meet despite challenges caused by the new schedule. Some clubs have decided to suspend their meetings for the rest of the year, others have found a way to make it work for their members.
Since the beginning of the school year, more than a few clubs have disbanded including GSA, Marine Biology, Unified Bulldogs and the Science League. While these clubs are not active this school year, students can still join next year.
“We are in recess now until the new school year,” Mock trial club advisor Laurn Rad said.
Mock Trial stopped having meetings in March but will restart next school year. This year they did not compete due to having a smaller number of club members, but they did hold meetings to practice for about two hours. Usually, they would get case packets full of information and evidence that they could build into a case and practice to compete against other schools.
“There’s a role for anybody no matter what you want to do. Everyone has a part and everyone is important in their own way,” senior Branden Gill said
As for the anime club, it is still an active club right now; club members stay connected through Discord, an app that supports video calls, voice chat, and text instead of using Zoom or Google meet. Right now the anime club will watch different anime and react to it live on discord with each other during their meetings. Anime meets on Wednesdays from 1 -2 p.m., but after the first two weeks of hybrid they want to try and have one to two meetings a week in person. The group is still determining how to include students who are sticking with distant learning for the rest of the year.
By next year meetings will be held during school at lunch where everyone can participate easily.Students are also allowed and welcomed to join at any time throughout the year as well. In the future the club hopes to make a trip to Japan at some point, club advisor Molly Ensminger said.
Key club has faced many changes because of COVID-19 and now hybrid learning, they are limited to what projects they can do and have had to face two schedule changes now. Meetings once on Wednesdays at 10 every other week were moved to Friday afternoons and changed for the third time to Fridays at 2:30. Their annual Six Flags trip had to be canceled as well. There have been more members showing up to DCM’s, this year because it’s online, Breana Chhay said.
DCM stands for Division Council Meetings that are gathering for schools in the same divisions for key clubs. Buena’s key club is part of the division West 42 along with schools in Santa Paula and Rio Mesa.
While meetings are not allowed in person, Chhay is hopeful that they will be able to conduct more service projects for the rest of the school year. Even though Key Club has faced a slight drop in the amount of club members, they are still going strong and welcome new members.
“I combined them because there are less students that are participating and because of the scheduling changes,” pawprint and writer’s ink club adviser Karin Childress said.
Pawprint and Writer’s Ink have also had to adjust due to less club members. Club meetings had been on Wednesdays as well, but due to SEL no longer continuing and classes becoming longer, the meetings will most likely take place on Friday through Zoom.
“After our lunch break we can probably have a short meeting to work on the magazine,” Childress said.
There are no requirements to participate in the club and students can attend meetings when it fits their schedule or join the club at any time. Writers Ink is a club for creative writers and Pawprint is a literary magazine that runs the Dempsey writing contest. The staff of Pawprint will make videos and graphic design layouts to advertise students work. Those who join for the writer’s ink club will bring their work to the students in Pawprint and get feedback from each other.
