Every year, Club Rush is a tradition that highlights the beginning of the school year at Ripon High. On Aug. 22, students attending Ripon High School lined up and down the grassy knolls near the amphitheater to sign up for clubs, including Drama Club, FFA, and United Club among many other organizations.
The embellishment of the neatly set tables throughout the schools caught the eyes of many students looking to join new clubs. Riya Pearson, a sophomore, states that many clubs that stood out to her had, “dedication to decoration, their stands, or the advertisement they post.” The beautification of the campus underlines a sense of pride and achievement among the school, in which Club Rush manages to exhibit.
Experiencing the Club Rush environment for the first time can often give a good representation to new students on how welcoming and down-to-earth the Ripon High community has proven to be. Alyssa Lan, a freshman, expresses that the club rush environment this year was, “Overall pretty fun. I liked going around and just having [the clubs] all in a circle so I could just go from one to another pretty fast. I liked how all of them told me what their main focus was.”
Furthermore, students have much to gain by participating in clubs. Emma O’Laughlin, a senior, suggests that students who are interested in becoming more involved in clubs should, “join the things they like, because they’ll find people who like the same things as them.” This statement strongly illustrates how shared interests can really bring people together, and how similar likings can help us find the right audience by surrounding ourselves with people we could gain from and grow tighter bonds with.
On the other hand, some students are reluctant to join clubs because of their anxiety around meeting strangers and making new friends. Jorie Eskes, a sophomore, has been a part of the United Club since her freshman years and shares some insights to anxious students who are curious about joining clubs. “[You shouldn’t] be scared to sign up for what you want.” Eskies says. Moreover, she adds that many students are nervous about joining new clubs because they want to stay with their friends, nevertheless joining new clubs can be beneficial for networking and making new friends.
In conclusion, Club Rush is an enjoyable and educational experience for students at Ripon High. The wide variety of clubs offers many opportunities for any peers who want to build friendships, make a difference in the community, or nurture a deeper educational understanding of interests and hobbies through the uplifting environment the students and staff have managed to create at Ripon High.
