From Naps to Zombies to Atheism, High School Kids Have a Club for It [Part 1 of 3]
By Sherry Saavedra
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Extracurricular school activities sure have evolved from the days of math clubs, French clubs and chess clubs.
At San Dieguito High School Academy, the Zombie Outbreak Survival club is committed to finding ways to combat the living dead should there be an invasion.
Members of the Dank Apparel Regime dress up in costumes once a month.
And students in the Harry Potter club, not content merely to discuss the fantasy novels, made a pilgrimage to Harry's hometown stomping grounds in England.
Schools throughout San Diego County report that there are more campus clubs than ever. And there seems to be one for nearly every special interest.
“For a while we even had a barking club,” said Sheryl Bode, a club adviser and Spanish teacher at the Encinitas academy, where the number of clubs has increased by more than 40 percent over the past three years. “We'd go to school events, and instead of cheering we'd make barking sounds.
“No matter who you are, we want you to have a place at school where you can express yourself and feel good.”
Experts say the explosion of clubs over the past decade is partially the result of a societal shift. More parents want their children involved in organized and supervised youth activities, they say, and educators increasingly promote clubs as a way for students to build connections with their schools.
Phillip Gay, chairman of the Sociology Department at San Diego State University, said that in households with two working parents, adults prefer that their children be involved in clubs and other structured activities instead of hanging out at home.
“You don't meet your friends on your street any longer because during the day everyone's gone,” Gay said. “Mom's working. Grandma lives in New York. And schools have become so big that students feel anonymous. You form your friends in clubs and other organizations.”
Academic ambition has inspired scores of joiners. As competition for college admission becomes more cutthroat each year, students form clubs and assume leadership roles to distinguish themselves on their applications.
Educators say involvement in extracurricular activities can build self-esteem, and improve grades and attitudes about school.
And in the post-Columbine era, teachers advocate clubs as a vehicle to prevent students from becoming disconnected from school.
“We find if kids feel more accepted on campus through clubs, there's less chance for them to feel like they don't belong and need to strike out,” Bode said.
School administrators say that as high schools have grown more crowded, there's more competition for spots on the football team, in student government or to be chosen for the school play.
Anyone can join a club, and educators are telling students: If no group on campus appeals to you, form one.
Taylor Gibson, normally a non-joiner when it came to school, found himself in this cultural climate when inspiration struck. Taylor, a Point Loma High sophomore, decided to form a nap club. His vision included blankets and pillows strewn about the classroom, and cookies and warm milk to give students a respite from teachers, tests and grades. The club meets Tuesdays during lunch.
“Me and my friends were just tired at lunch one day, and we thought there should be a place where kids could just sleep, relax and watch movies,” Taylor said.
That may not have been exactly what Vice Principal Kevin Gormly had in mind when he urged newcomers at a fall assembly to form clubs as a way of getting involved on campus.
But Gormly observed that even the offbeat clubs make students want to come to school.
“If students feel more connected here, they're going to be more successful,” he said.
