Clubs Go Virtual But Keep the Spirit
The C-pop Club practices dancing before quarantine. Club President Jia Ling Lin hopes to rent a studio this year. Photo: Elina Wang
By ELINA WANG and ZILOLA ASHURBOYEVA
The pandemic has brought major changes to education, and Midwood’s clubs are learning to adapt.
Take the C-pop Club, for example. They’ve been dancing and performing in Asian Fest. But how do they practice if Midwood is locked? You’re probably imagining the awkwardness of dancing in front of a computer.
“Before quarantine, we learned dances in classrooms,” said Club President Jia Ling Lin. “Now I’m planning to rent dance studios so we can learn there.” However, members must also practice the dances beforehand at home.
“We created an Instagram page and WeChat group for all C-pop members, and we send mirrored versions of songs for everyone to rehearse daily,” said Lin.
Even with such preparations, planning for Asian Fest is still a challenge. Lin still isn’t completely sure how it will work out this year.
Technical difficulties can also be a struggle for virtual clubs.
“Sometimes the amount of people joining the club’s Zoom meeting is too much,” said junior Laziza Obidova, a member of the Key Club. At the club’s October 6 meeting, “many people weren’t able to get into the meeting because there were too many people in it at once.”
The Key Club is one of the biggest clubs at Midwood. It focuses on raising funds, donating, and volunteering around the community. Due to safety reasons, its members can no longer carry out their traditional events and are all fully remote as well.
The club had its first two meetings on September 22 and October 6. The club’s president, Jaclyn Gendler, has organized two events so far.
For their first event, Key Club reached out to an organization called “Cards for Foster Children.” Club members were asked to make cards for the foster children and send pictures of them.
Gendler said, “It’s the least we can do to possibly brighten their days during this time.” Other members agreed. Obidova said, “I love the feeling that comes along with helping someone.”
Key Club’s second event was a Halloween special. Members were asked to send in pictures of what they’d be doing for Halloween. This includes “Inktober art, costumes, Halloween baking, or articles about Halloween movies they watched,” said Gendler.
Before Halloween, Lisa Farley, a junior in the club, said, “I am planning to watch Coraline because, surprisingly, I never watched it, and I’m going to submit pictures of houses in my area since they tend to be heavily decorated for Halloween.”
Although club members can’t go out personally, there are still many things they can do to help the community. The Key Club board members are working hard to make sure members stay safe but also engaged.
Farley said, “I do hope that one day I’ll be qualified to become a Key Club officer because I want to be able to learn those skills and teach others.”
The math team, which “creates a space where students can collaborate on abstract mathematical concepts and further their critical thinking and intellectual curiosity,” according to Club President Nichole Gutierrez, is also working hard to keep its members connected and informed.
“Collaboration helps students take on different perspectives and learn to become better group members,” Gutierrez said.
Members have a math assignment to complete each week; they then discuss it during meetings, work together in Zoom breakout rooms, and battle it out in mock competitions. Official math competitions will be different this year, but the club members are still hoping to participate in them.
As junior Nitu Farhin, a math team member, said, “this year has already started out stressful,” but clubs are giving students an opportunity to do something “fun with friends, while making new friends.”
A stressful year indeed. Students already have a lot on their hands: schoolwork, homework, tests, projects, at-home responsibilities, and more. It has generally become quite difficult to keep up with everything. That’s why clubs are especially important: They provide a learning environment without all the pressure.
Gutierrez said, “We make sure not to stress students out considering we are remote and members are stressed with school work.”
Midwood’s online Club Fair will be held November 3. Consider viewing the variety of options, but don’t stop there. Join and maybe a new experience will await you!