Socializing at Ingraham

And why you might get more out of clubs than you think.

In response to events at and around Ingraham, students’ schedules have been changed a lot. During the past 3 years lunchtime has been reduced, passing period breaks have been shortened and then eliminated, and most recently our lunches were split into two parts. On top of this, socializing in the halls is discouraged by hall monitors as students are rushed from one class to the other. Regardless of the reasoning, it’s getting harder and harder to connect with other students. While this schedule hurts student life in many ways, there is a saving grace. When Rainer Moore was asked how he connects with his peers during school, he stated, “One of the best times is clubs…that’s when I see a lot of my friends and stuff.” Maddox Meuter added to this sentiment saying, “Yeah, I think those are still a good opportunity to connect.”

As we all know, with the new schedule, most clubs take place on Monday and Thursday during the last 20 minutes of the school day. This is a pretty small amount of time. And understandably, many students may disregard this time, choosing instead to relax on their phone. When I asked students what they thought of the new club schedule, responses were mixed. People who had gone to clubs before were upset about having less club time. Many said they “didn’t really care”, they “didn’t go to clubs anyway.” Oliver Seralles said “uh its kind of nice to have the extra time at the end of the day.”

A study I read by the NCES linked school performance with club participation. Another article I read by Edutopia said that school clubs can help build social skills. This made me think there may be more benefits to clubs than just seeing your friends. To test this theory, I took an unbiased sample of my own club (Music club), and interviewed the members on if and how clubs benefited them. When I asked members what their grades were, and received overwhelmingly positive results: "I got four A’s and Two B+s” one student said. “I have all A’s” reported another. Additionally, I inquired about direct benefits members thought the club gave them. Max Minkovh said, “It expands my music taste... and my knowledge I guess.” In terms of social benefits, Maddox Meuter stated, "It introduced me to new people.” And Nico Bilstad said, “It kinda teaches you like teamwork… and how to connect with new people.”

The social environment may be important when choosing a club, but the purpose is also something to consider. Taking a deeper dive into the purpose of going to clubs I interviewed Music club Vice President Tewodros Zewede. He said, “the purpose of our club is to discuss and learn more about music through each other… you get a chance to really connect to other people through the universal experience of shared music,” And, “I’m sure other clubs bring a similar purpose to their members.”

These benefits are important to consider when choosing how to spend the last 20 minutes of your day. Maybe you could get more out of those 20 minutes than you realize.