Huntley High School offers over 50 different clubs and activities for students to participate in throughout the school year. However, the participation in these clubs and activities is not nearly as impressive.

Every year, there is always the possibility for more clubs to form because students can start their own clubs with support from peers and teachers. Because of this, the variety of clubs and activities that HHS has to offer continues to increase, giving all students the chance to find their niche and become more involved. 

“I think the benefit is just feeling like you belong. You can build relationships and connections with teachers, coaches, and each other,” Math Team and Leo’s Club sponsor Laura Jenkins said.

There are many benefits for students who join different clubs at HHS, but many students are not taking advantage of these opportunities, especially throughout this school year. 

“[By being in clubs], you get exposed to your community. You get to meet people in the community and people from other high schools,” sophomore Christina Smith said. “You gain leadership experience and experience in working with others.”

Clubs allow students to work on themselves while enjoying activities with people who have similar interests. However, many clubs have struggled to keep enough students involved this year, endangering students’ opportunities to get these benefits.

“This year, there has been a large lack of involvement in clubs. I see it a lot in Student Council, and every week there are less and less people showing up to the general council meetings,” sophomore Rieley Cash said. 

“In Student Leadership Council, we’ve addressed that there is a lack of participation in clubs, yet there’s nothing being done about it,” Smith said.

This lack of involvement can also be seen more specifically in clubs that primarily attract certain demographics of students. It is important that students branch out and try new clubs because those clubs would benefit from the students’ participation as much as the students would. 

“Right now, we have two key demographics that we have not gotten. In Math Team, it’s freshmen. We could not get any freshmen to come,” Jenkins said. “In Leo’s Club, we have been unable to get any males.”

Additionally, many students have struggled with time management and adjusting to a regular school year after a year of online learning. This is most likely another reason for the lack of participation in clubs because students have found they do not have the time for such activities along with their homework and studying. 

“I’m hoping time will take care of it. The kids will learn to manage time better and get to a point where they’re more comfortable stepping outside,” Jenkins said. 

While this could be an issue that is only solved with time and student adjustment, HHS should continue to promote clubs and activities, encouraging student participation. Students should also do their part by stepping outside of their comfort zones and trying out new activities. 

As far as any student knows, showing up to one meeting of a random club could be the start of a new passion and family at Huntley High School.