What do you remember most about school? It’s likely not the tests, assignments, iffy lunches, or early hours. Instead, it’s probably your classmates, teachers, club events, and other academic organizations. Without those integral social aspects of education, school would be a one-note experience – all academics, all the time. The key to a pleasant school experience is to work hard, play hard. The importance of school clubs and organizations goes beyond just existing. It’s finding the right fit, knowing how to organize a school club, learning about cooperation and leadership, and more.
Why School Clubs Are Vital
Beyond mere school pride, clubs, organizations, and athletics are stepping stones in the coming-of-age phase of youth. These groups help nurture social relationships, improve networking skills, enhance cooperation skills, and facilitate resume-building experiences. Let’s look at more specific benefits of school clubs and organizations:
- Infinite opportunities to learn about what interests you
- Experience making decisions with consequences
- Quality vs quantity – not overdoing it
- Time management skills
- Likes and dislikes
- Hard and soft skills
- Leadership skills
- Designated time away from studying
Sure, these things might make clubs sound different on paper than IRL, but that’s just where you have to trust us. You might be doing, learning, and growing a lot simply by participating in a school club or organization, but you’re also making friends and having fun – two things that will craft your whole primary education career.
How to Organize a School Club if School-Sanctioned Options Are Limited
There’s no standard-issue list of clubs that every school across the nation has to have, so when it comes to smaller schools, you may not have the extensive offerings that a large school district might. Here is a list of common school clubs, and this page has several unique club ideas to compare to your school’s club and organization offerings. (These ideas apply to college, too; college clubs and organizations exist!)
The actual steps that go into starting a club are typically simple. Figure out what club you want to start, draft a proposal, approach the right administrator to get things started with the school, and once approved, start spreading the word so you can host your first meeting!
It is critical to get things straightened out with your school because you likely won’t be allowed to hold meetings or advertise it on campus without their approval, which can make everything that much more difficult. At the very least, the school will likely require a faculty sponsor to ensure things are safe and abide by district rules and to oversee whatever happens on campus after hours. Refer to your student handbook as it should have all the relevant club-starting information (and more).
School Pride Stems from School Clubs and Organizations
One of the most fun parts of joining school clubs and organizations is the swag. School club shirts, buttons, pins, pens, keychains, bracelets, and – even though it’s not swag per se – all the free food and fundraiser prizes. Plus, if you’re in a club for long enough, you might be able to make a totally separate T-shirt quilt with only school club shirts.
The best place to get school spiritwear? 1st Place Spiritwear. School pride meets high-quality, unique spiritwear shirts. That’s our thing. Our spiritwear is built to last and looks pretty cool, too. Need to run a fundraiser for your new club? We’ve made that stress-free with online-shopping options. No need for hand-delivery, in-person sales, or guesswork with the inventory order (plus, no leftovers). Welcome to completely contactless, virtual fundraising – the logical next step for schools.
