At Benilde St. Margaret’s, clubs are a big part of extracurricular activities. Popular clubs among students include Red Knight Volunteer Community (RKVC), Spirit Squad, and Link Crew. BSM provides clubs for students to feel a part of a community and to make one. However, while there are many opportunities for students to get involved, a growing issue is the lack of commitment when students join these clubs
Signing up is easy, but attending club meetings consistently and participating in weekly activities is not. Many clubs start the year with long sign-up lists, but later in the year, attendance drops. Students stop showing up to meetings, and many clubs struggle to maintain the participation they need to function.
One example of this problem can be seen with the Spirit Squad. Spirit Squad is meant to bring energy and excitement to school events, especially games. Members are supposed to show up and lead cheers, help create a fun atmosphere, and encourage school spirit. However, there are so many sports teams at BSM, and each has multiple games. This causes only a small number of students to participate. Clubs like Spirit Squad should have a certain number of games to attend to stay in the club, to make sure they are actually doing what the club is meant for.
The Red Knight Volunteer Community (RKVC) faces a similar challenge. RKVC organizes volunteer opportunities for students to give back to the community. Throughout the year, they set up almost weekly signups for service opportunities in and outside of BSM. While many students initially sign up, organizers often find themselves scrambling when few students sign up or fewer show up than expected. This can create problems not only for the club but also for the organizations that are relying on student volunteers.
Part of the issue may come from the pressure students feel to be involved in as many activities as possible. Students worry about building strong resumes for college, so they sign up for multiple clubs and leadership opportunities. While the intention is good, this often leads to students putting too much on their plates. When schedules get busy with homework, sports, and other commitments, club meetings or volunteer events are usually the first things to be skipped. In the end, clubs should have certain requirements or limits to decrease these problems. Clubs are an important part of BSM, but they only work when members follow through on their commitments.
Joining a club should mean more than adding to a list of activities. If students sign up, they should make an effort to attend meetings and events. Sometimes, being involved in fewer activities but showing real commitment can make a much bigger impact for both the student and the club.