When you’re a freshman at Miami Senior High school, you often experience this particular event for the first time. “Club Fair” is an event during lunch where some interest clubs and societies gather around the east patio and show off their club pride. They try to gather new members to join them by showing off their stands, flags, snacks, flyers, and huge cardboard posters. The main target is of these events are often freshmen or sophomores. However, it begs the question. What is the true cost of participating in school activities? What should someone really expect before joining a club or sport? What club should they even join?
Selecting which activity to join is a difficult task since Miami High offers countless opportunities for students to explore different careers and interests. Junior Jefferson Lopez shared, “I’m involved in the marching band, photography club, and Miahi. I was originally drawn to marching band due to my love for music and wanting to be a part of something that seemed really cool to me.” He explained he joined the photography club because of his experience of taking photos for his band team.
Taking photos all the time grew a curiosity of cameras for Jefferson, and he decided to join the photography club because he wanted to learn more about cameras as well as surround himself with peers who had the same interests and desires as he did. Lastly, he decided to join Miahi because, “I wanted to be a part of a group that worked on something specific and meticulous for the school’s culture.”
Senior Helen Pastran is involved in BETA, EHS (English Honor Society), SNHS (Science National Honor Society), NHS, (National Honor Society) and InTouch. She expressed that the impact on people and messages they display drew Helen to these honor societies. She said, “They encourage leadership, mental health awareness, and the importance of academics.”
When participating in a club or honor society in high school, you can expect some expenses during your time. Senior Yoandris Leal, president of English Honor Society, explained that he usually has to pay for club jackets, jerseys, and shirts. However, his parents usually cover the costs. On the flip side, an anonymous senior said that she usually covers her club fees by herself. She said, “I make sure ahead of time that I have the money for the purchase and save money until the advisor starts handing out the shirts.”
Sometimes, fees a club requires can intimidate some students. Jefferson explained, “Due to the high cost of participating in the band, if often scares a lot of people away from participating in it, and I totally get that.”
Miami High students have mixed opinions on whether all students have the same opportunities to join activities. An anonymous junior in one of the big 4 clubs stated, “I feel like students here don’t really have a lot of chances in sports or clubs because the coach/teachers can pick favorites. Oftentimes, the advisor won’t even pick certain students or will exclude others because they favor another.”
Senior Lucas Aguirre, member of JROTC and officer for MAO disagrees to an extent. He said, “The only time I’d find it hard to participate in activities is if I’m really busy. When it comes to money, I feel that most of the fees for the clubs are doable; however, for sports, the fees can become really hard to cover because they’re much more expensive and require more costs, so I can understand the difficulty with sports.”
Generally, clubs and sports can consume a chunk of your time. But how much time are Miami High students really devoting to their activities? Senior Jefferson Mejia, who is involved in JROTC (Raiders and Drill) said, “I’d say I spend at least 6-10 hours a week depending on what JROTC is doing.” He explained that the hours definitely take a toll on his free time, especially since he also has a job. Helen Pastran, a member of five clubs, shared that she stays on campus from 2:20-6 all week. She said, “It does sometimes affect my schoolwork, especially if I have a test. It’s difficult because sometimes, I just want to enjoy my free time, but I can’t because I have to stay after school or study.”
Given these hours, do these students get anything good out of their participation? Junior Ana Bonilla, historian for Honoria, said, “Participating in clubs has impacted my life in a good way because I feel like I’m more social and know a lot more people and I’ve gotten close with a lot of people that I thought I never would.” Senior Yoandris Leal, EHS president, shared, “Being a part of these activities helps my social life by allowing me to meet new people and build stronger friendships.”
Although Miami High has countless activities and strong school spirit, there’s always room to improve. Junior Ana Bonilla explained that the school could make the club culture less competitive. She continued, “Especially during homecoming season because things sometimes get hurtful and/or out of hand. It’s saddening because at the end of the day, like Ms. Armas (advisor of Junior Class) says, “At the end of the day, we are all one.”
