East held its annual activities fair last week, showcasing 89 clubs over the course of two days during the LBs in the Dibart Gym. Unlike years past, the fair took place in the gym instead of the courtyard due to weather conditions. However, by talking to students at East, it was still considered a success to those involved.
East prides itself on the many clubs, sports, and activities offered to students. So it comes as no surprise that new clubs, as well as beloved clubs that have been around for years, were at this year’s activities fair. As a result of the large number of clubs, the fair was split into two days so that each club could fit and have its chance to attract new members.
Along with the location change, the biggest difference this year for the fair was that only underclassmen and new students were allowed to attend. This was done to ensure only people who weren’t involved in clubs yet had the opportunity to sign up.
“We founded [Animal Behavior] in January of this year. We got around 30 new people to sign up [today],” said Jamie Gross (‘26), president of Animal Behavior Club.
Gross is excited for what the new school year will bring and is hoping to plan a successful year for the Animal behavior club. He hopes to arrange labs involving physical animals that students can interact with. In addition, he hopes to plan an activity where students go to the creek near the back of the school to investigate some of the organisms found there.
Another club that received a lot of attention during the activities fair was Women in Sports. This club hosts various events to build a community for female-identifying athletes at East.
“We’ve started to plan activities [like] we have the East vs West Girls Soccer Game this Saturday. [Also] a lot of new freshmen are really excited to join and I made sure to get them interested. We want to spread awareness on gender equality in sports,” said Events Officer Amita Oberoi (’28).
Underclassmen and new students walked around the gym, looking for clubs that sparked their interest. They then talked to club board members, took pictures of Google Classroom codes, and gave their school IDs to be added to the club Google Classrooms. Most clubs also provided their Instagram handles, allowing underclassmen to stay connected through social media.
“I thought [the fair] was very helpful and loved all the clubs [East] had to offer. I joined a ton, a lot of them sport-related,” said Ava Barone (‘29), a freshman who plays soccer for East and swims outside of school.
Sophomore Elizabeth Wolf (‘27) added, “[the fair] was good [and] Dibart was loud but easier to navigate than the courtyard.”
Overall, the Activities Fair has been around for years and will continue to occur annually in September. It is a great way to keep East students engaged in a variety of activities and obtain the information they need to join clubs, allowing them to get involved.