By Ashley Hoskins

   With the new school year starting, clubs and activites made important changes to adjust to the COVID-19. Officers decided to host club meetings over Zoom or in-person while socially distancing. New officers helped members while adapting to changes.

   President of National Honor Society, Tatiana Maher (’21), and her fellow officers decided to switch NHS’s meetings from the school’s Media Center to Zoom. Maher sought out new ways to volunteer while safely socially distancing and making adjustments for the upcoming members.

     “A big change we had to make as a club is pertaining to service. Service is an integral part of the society and the members involved. Service is one of our pillars, but we understand the difficulties of this time during the COVID-19 pandemic. To adapt to this, instead of typical service requirements, we are only requiring members to submit proposals for a specific service project they would like to do over the course of the first semester. This means that we can still be an active part of our community without endangering anyone,” Maher said.

   The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, president, Vanessa Kriston (’21), decided to improvise and hold meetings a different way this school year. FCA normally gathers in the gymnasium but transitioned to the online platform starting the first semester while limiting club fees and encouraging everyone to join without the hardships of filling out an application.

     “We are utilizing Zoom for our meetings and setting up Canvas page for further information. Our first meeting will be held on September 14 and students can sign up at any time using our new Remind. For right now, we are hosting at-home Zoom calls. Hopefully, we have the opportunity to meet in the gym throughout the school year. We have Ms. Regenia Dixon (FAC) helping us as our advisor, to organize meetings, dates, and times with administration, while willing to make accommodations for our new members,” Kriston said.

     Louis Chianella (’21), Vice President of the social studies national honor society, Rho Kappa, discovers new techniques to social distance while having meetings with his other fellow officers. He created fundraisers and opportunities for members to participate, mostly geared towards socially distanced activities that involve fewer interaction for the current school year. 

     “We can’t have too many events outside of school because we want to make sure every member feels comfortable participating. The club will most likely start in October. Ms. LuAnne Hampton (FAC) is the advisor and as the date gets closer, applications will be picked up in her room. I think the other students in the club will be hopeful about the new club policies during this stressful time and I am positive every club member will do everything to make it a great year,” Chianella said. 

   The school clubs work to keep every member safe in order to social distance due to COVID-19. Click here for more information about clubs at Mitchell.