Op Ed: My Suppressed Anger Towards You All
Annie Nichol, a senior here at CHS, participates in numerous clubs that take up a ton of her time–but are not truly appreciated.
You all know me, or at least know of me (hopefully), Kylie Saxton. And though I may at times be sarcastic, anxious, dorky, or snarky, I am very rarely angry, especially in regards toward school. But my anger festers up and boils over when I think of the state of some of our extracurricular clubs at this school (I guess this is part of the whole dorky/nerdy thing I have going on). And yes, there are things to join or pay attention to other than just football. Listen up.
First of all, I understand that most of you are busy enough with AP/Honors classes or sports. But, don’t forget about the clubs (although many of the participants are those, such as myself, who have no physical capability to participate in sports). Don’t just ignore the signs in the halls or above the drinking fountain like they don’t matter to you just because you don’t hear much about the activities that they sponsor. Maybe you should actually give these clubs a shot, you may enjoy them (more than likely you will). I know so many people who have joined random clubs simply due to curiosity, but love them nonetheless.
I know what I’m talking about, too. I currently participate in about four wonderful clubs that our school offers and the reason I am a member of each is because they hold special pieces of my heart and I genuinely find an interest in each and every one. These clubs include Yearbook, Key Club, Bleu Print, and the nerdy yet wonderful Science Olympiad. As dorky as this sounds, these clubs are designed to spark student interest and to teach you; there’s got to be something out there for you that you don’t have to feel like you’re dragging yourself through it. You’ll be able to find something productive that you would actually enjoy.
Don’t join a club unless you have a passion for what’s at the center of it. Otherwise, you’ll have no motivation to do any work. Just signing up to list it on your college applications is one of the worst things that you could do for yourself. It will feel like you’re slowly dying as you sit through meetings and attempt to put up with the work. With all of the stress that school puts on you, don’t waste any more time or energy doing that to yourself if you don’t want to be there.
And even if you join a club just to add it to some college application or resumé, for the love of God you still need to participate. These clubs are dependent on those who join. It upsets me greatly when I realize that half of the people in my clubs don’t actually do much. For instance, at a meeting for Key Club, we provided a sign-up sheet asking for costume judges on Halloween at a community event, in which about ten to fifteen people signed up. I was embarrassed–as a Cabinet member for the club–when myself and two others were the only members to show up. I can also speak for Yearbook and the fact that many page workers missed the deadline to have pages done. They don’t realize that now the pressure falls completely at the feet of the club leaders and editors. Or maybe they do and just don’t seem to care.
Our school is such a wonderful place with mostly wonderful people. Please don’t leave me constantly thinking about one of the negative aspects it has. Help me out.
