It’s a Monday afternoon at the monthly Inter-Organizational Counsel (IOC) meeting. For any other member this would seem like an ordinary club meeting, but for sophomore Max Frost it’s so much more. As the members filter into the cafeteria and take a seat for the meeting, Frost begins to feel a nervous sensation tingle up his spine as he mentally prepares for his upcoming speech. This speech is a make it or break it deal; this speech will determine whether or not Frost’s dream of creating a Dodge Ball Club will come true. He ambles up to the center of the room, clears his throat and confidently begins his speech about why Dodge Ball Club should be approved for the 2010-2011 school year. After he has given his speech it’s time for the IOC members to deliberate and vote ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ on this new club. “Don’t be shy if you’re interested in doing something,” SGA sponsor Gena Churchwell said. “If you start it [a club], they will come.” Clubs don’t just appear out of thin air, they come from students’ imaginations and creative designs. When starting a club, one has to think of a popular topic within the student body. Typically when students desire to create new clubs they get inspiration from something they themselves love and want to share with the entire school. “I love pegging people in the face,” Frost said. “I wanted to have a reason to have continuous recreational meetings all year round, so I came up with the Dodge Ball Club.” Although the students that desire to create a club have a passion for their activity, the actual steps in making an official club go beyond that. The first step in the club making process is speaking with Churchwell, where she gives these students the requirements for making a club and explains the process that must take place for creating a new club at CCHS. After presenting their goals and club ambitions, they are then required to make a “constitution” where they lay out their goals for the club, the types of’ officer positions, specific member and officer requirements, and also a time frame to meet. “They have to be motivated and dedicated or else their club won’t succeed,” senior and IOC president Melissa Alberts said.
After Churchwell and the IOC officers are aware of the new club and then the student must get all of the required paper work filled out and promptly turned in. After the papers are turned in and a teacher sponsor is found, Assistant Principal Ann Rocco has to approve the club and make sure it meets CCHS criteria (it can’t be controversial). The last and most nerve-racking step is getting all of the IOC board members to approve the club. Although the actually journey of creating a club and getting it approved is an adventure in itself, making sure that the club becomes and stays successful is an entirely different story. “In order to have a successful club, you must have consistent meetings, constant communication within the club, and creativity to attract students into joining,” Churchwell said. Once the clubs are approved, it’s time for them to step into action and get new students involved. Clubs are meant to bring together students with a common interest, but in a fun and interesting way. The purpose of creating a club cannot be for the sole intention of padding a college resume’. Clubs take a lot of effort and teamwork to run and to make it successful so that it can be carried on throughout the year. There are things like project approvals, fundraising, announcements, etc., that have to be taken care of so that the club stays successful. If they don’t maintain their clubs and keep activities contemporary then they will lose student loyalty. In order to strike an interest among the student body, the new club must go above and beyond to make their club attractive, whether that is flashy posters or promising activities. The new clubs (Press Club, Triatholon Club, Dodge Ball Club, Kick Ball Club, and many more) are getting vamped to kick off the 2010-2011 CCHS school year on a positive and festive note. “Try and be unique, otherwise some clubs might be too similar,” Alberts said. “You need to have a strong club base with a lot of dedicated members.”
With the club approval behind him and the fresh 2010-2011 school year ahead of him, Frost is anxious to announce the arrival of Dodge Ball Club. With a game plan already activated and interest in club already taking place, Frost is on his way to presiding over a successful new club. “Dodge Ball Club will become a precedent for other CCHS clubs,” Frost said. “People told me I couldn’t make a club, but I followed my dreams. The best thing was having full-on friend support.”