The John Champe Club Fair was hosted from Sept. 17, 2024 through Sept. 18, 2024. Over 20 clubs at the fair were established just this year, a significantly higher number compared to last year.
As students piled into the auxiliary gym during their lunch blocks, the two-day fair gave new and existing students the opportunity to be more involved in school by introducing them to a wide variety of volunteer organizations, student associations, and honor societies. However, these new clubs were completely new ideas that many had not thought to establish prior to this school year, with the Women’s Rights Club and the Fashion Club being some examples.
“Many new club applications were submitted, but only about 17 were accepted,” teacher Shalonda Davis said. “A large number of the applications were either incomplete, consisted of an activity that wasn’t allowed, or was a club that already existed.”
The actual application process, which was run by the John Champe High School Inter-Club Council (ICC), consisted of a form that needed to be filled out and reviewed by staff members on the council. The application made prospective club founders need to list a few students and a sponsor who would be interested in their club idea. Certain guidelines were enforced when deciding on these applications, as club ideas also needed to be unique and have a specific purpose.
“Requests for new clubs/organizations whose mission can be accomplished within or by an existing organization will not be approved,” the ICC stated in its guidelines. “Clubs which exist solely for the purpose of a specific service project will generally not be approved.”
A major reason some wanted to start or be one of the founders of a club would be the benefits it could give you when applying for colleges or scholarships. Having a significant leadership position in a club or sport, such as, President, or Vice President, or Team Captain, shows admissions officers that you can lead and provide new ideas while collaborating with others. Additionally, as some Seniors graduate and members leave some clubs stop running. A few of those clubs made a comeback, such as the Speech and Debate club.
“I actually got the club passed down to me from a senior who was here at Champe last year,” Knights for Christ president Jacob Dawson said. “I think it is important that we have a space to discuss religious topics and personal beliefs with our peers.”
Student and Faith associations have always been a big part of Champe as they can bring students from shared backgrounds together, while introducing students to new cultures and traditions. Clubs like the Black Student Union (BSU), the South Asian Student Association (SASA), and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) have always been popular among the diverse student body that Champe has. In this area, we’re seeing new clubs like the Afghan and Pakistani student associations, as well as the aforementioned Knights For Christ Faith Club.
“Our mission is to spread the gospel and inform members about various topics in Christianity, and to answer any questions members may have,” Dawson said. “We made the club even though there was an FCA to give people a club to go to on Advisory days, and to have a different format of informing people by incorporating slideshow teachings.”
Another reason for this wave of new clubs would be a large group of people expressing the want for a certain club in the Champe community, and someone taking the chance to act on that interest. For example, Cricket is a sport that is widely enjoyed and played in the Asian community, but it is not an official Virginia High School League sport. Much like the Badminton Club, the new Champe Cricket club saw an opportunity to make a club for these students and saw a wave of new members sign up during the club fair.
“We decided to start Champe Cricket because at Mercer Middle School, there were a good number of students that expressed interest in the sport,” Champe Cricket co-founder Aadhira Nair said. “Earlier this year, Champe also participated in an inter-school tournament, which we won, so we thought it was necessary to continue growing this community at Champe. Our interest meeting took place earlier this week, and we had about 44 people in attendance.”
