High school has a vast number of clubs covering a variety of categories for students to sign up for each year. Some welcome anyone who passes by and others extend invitations only to those who have reached the requirements for admittance to the club. The latter are the sought-after ones to put on college applications and for the graduation embellishments earned at the conclusion of a member’s senior year. After admittance, academic and service clubs have expectations for their members and failing to oblige could put one back on the other side of the club’s door.
Expectations are necessary to keep members of these respectable organizations in line and to uphold both the club and students’ reputations. The general outline requires completion of community service hours, maintaining the necessary grade point average, and active participation in the club. Active participation, however, should be accessible and reasonable throughout the school year in order for the club’s parameters to remain inclusive to all students regardless of personal situations which could make specific engagements difficult.
Steinbrenner’s National Beta Club has set the stage for offering accessible and reasonable ways to participate in club events and donation drives, which are common among the large clubs on campus. To fulfill the requirements for membership in the club, students are offered various times throughout the school year to show participation to continuously earn their spot among the rest of the students who have shown the academic integrity and compliance with conduct to become a member. Beta Club allots time to host more events than needed for a student to meet the requirements, which alleviates the stress of accidentally missing the opportunity to keep their place in the club they have worked for.
The essence of serving the community and expressing commitment to being an engaged and an involved member of an important club does not lie on the same level as donating store-bought items and calling it a day. A student’s dedication to volunteering time either in person or through other means such as creating thoughtful items like cards and letters is worth much more to the community than the mindless act of donating the requested item of the upcoming drive. Providing the opportunity for a student to give back in a more thoughtful and less material focused manner, allows those who meet the rest of the impressive criteria for the club to be involved without the concern of not being able to contribute purchased items multiple times per school year to keep their place.
It is important to remember that some neighbors in local communities benefit greatly from the donations collected in drives like the ones school clubs hold. It is a simple and practical way to serve others who are in need, but this should not come at the expense of overlooking the opportunities that require a bit more time and thought from students which can be equally as rewarding in the community. Providing club members with the chance to think about the act of service they are contributing can inspire a stronger desire to engage in these kinds of events when they see that their involvement is worth more than a bag of items required from the store.
Kaitlyn Estrada // Staff Writer
