Waving signs and calling out slogans, students flooded into the amphitheatre on Tuesday.  Club rush has begun again! 

A three day event from September 27 to the 29th, this year’s club rush had fifty-six clubs. Taking place during lunch every day,  it provides club officers and prospective members an environment to interact and recruit. Often officers are seen talking animatedly to a student, outlining a club’s purpose and activities. From community service opportunities provided by Kids Against Tobacco Smoking (KATS) club, to uniting comic enthusiasts at Marvel Club, or even gathering students with similar backgrounds like the Muslim Student Association, club rush ensures that everyone at Clark can find their niche. 

Dictated by tradition, two rows of clubs were set up with tables at the bottom of the amphitheatre, waving posters and giving handouts. Club presidents and members yelled out slogans and beckoned to wide eyed freshmen, some who looked spooked by all the noise. Over it all, ASB played pop hits over the loudspeaker. 

“[It] was actually so crowded,” said freshman Sam Alcaraz. “there were moments where the tables were so crowded you couldn’t even tell what club it was.” Although Alcaraz was wowed by the amount of people, he also enjoyed seeing all the different stations. “All the clubs were cool, but the only [bad thing] was that… I felt so bad whenever I walked past a club [that had] no one join.” 

Fortunately for one president, this wasn’t the case. “Clark Magnet really put the rush in Club Rush this time around,” said Co-President of the Panther Programmers club Joshua Almario. “I was thrilled to find people from all grade levels coming over and asking what our club offered. If you want to foster a community for a niche interest of yours, do it!” As co-presidents, Almario stood with Paul Shim manning their table. “I really wish the sun cooperated with us that day, because [we as] club leaders…were thoroughly cooked in [our] clothes.” Along with dealing with the heat, Almario also had to contend with negative comments. “[It] was really annoying [to hear] for… [us who were] putting ourselves and our passions out for the whole school to see. Just stay in the shade and let us do the heavy lifting!” he said. 

Almario was not the only one who ran into problems during club rush. President of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Jace Compton also experienced some awkward moments. “People came up and signed their friends up as a joke,” they confessed. “I wish people didn’t see the club as a joke, and as far as I know this didn’t happen to any other club.” As a club that deals directly with people’s self-identities, GSA made an effort to provide a space for anyone who wandered by. “[We had] members and officers oversee sign ups, answer questions, and [we] gave out pride flag stickers,” said Compton. “A funny moment was when someone came up [to our table] and asked for a ‘Lakers sticker,’ in reference to the non-binary flag.” All in all, this year’s club rush has seemed like a resounding success! Bolstered by a wide variety of clubs and an enthusiastic student body, Clark culture has never felt more alive.