Ian Kim '27
Oct 11, 2024
With the start of the new year, Mercersburg Academy is taking a new approach to the age-old club system. With the complete overhaul of structures, meeting times, and events, the school is attempting to breathe new life into the club system. There are many requirements a club must now meet, including submitting rosters, organizing a club SAC event, and meeting at least three times a term, the allocated time permits students to plan more effectively.
Andrea Dumont, the Director of Student Activities and Spanish teacher, said, “ We wanted to simply make clubs better for our students. That’s why we…also have funds for clubs if they are in good standing and met all the requirements for things like equipment.”
Andy Brown, the Dean of Students for Community Life, stated, “ Since there is a time during the day now for students to interact with clubs, the goal was to make a dedicated opportunity for kids to connect in these spaces. We hope it will add additional layers of connections with the Office of Student Life. We’re thinking one or two clubs with be the optimal number of clubs for all students to be able to partake in and actually utilize what clubs have to offer.”
Many students enjoy the dedicated club meeting times on Tuesdays. Cecilia Wang ‘25, president of the Asian Student Union club, said, “I think the changes are actually really useful. For us, the club hours are mainly for the leaders to discuss future events. There are around a hundred people in our club, so holding a club event in that club meeting time may not be realistic.”
“I think the club times are better than last year because we have a designated time we can meet, which is better than Sundays when many people are really busy,” Justin Oh ’25, President of the Debate club observed. “It’s the best spot they could have done because students are busy and don’t have much time. For our club, we get to meet up and teach students the basics of debate and how to improve their public speaking skills.”
However, some students also note the potential disadvantages of club times taking place of help sessions. “The new system doesn’t really benefit our club much because our events take place on weekends,” Cole Pirano ‘26, co-president of the Soccer Club, said. “As someone who runs a club, I like the idea of having designated time for it. But as someone who has a lot of homework, I would rather have a help block.”
Wang added, “Honestly speaking, even if a club invites me to attend a meeting on Tuesday morning, I am not positive if I will attend, as the time can be used to prepare for an upcoming test. I'd rather have a sleep-in or extra time in the morning to work.”
Clearly, students are ambivalent about the changes. Regardless, these measures show a shift in the school’s thinking regarding the club system. As the year progresses, we will see whether the adjustments lead to exciting events and give students space to explore their interests.