Photo courtesy of Emily Nham: Senior Red Cross President Emily Nham attends an online lecture about disaster preparedness at the “Prepare to Survive L.A.” workshop. With engaging discussions and games, Nham is able to experience the event even with the online restrictions.

Clubs adapt to pandemic

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With no definitive end to the school closure, clubs have remained active by offering activities and events that promote social distancing. While the state of certain organizations like the Health Occupations of Student Association club are undecided, others continue operating through online alternatives.

To better accommodate its members, Key Club decreased stole requirements and arranged more accessible activities. Service events include playing “Rice Race,” a game that raises money for ending world hunger, and using “Ocean Hero,” a search engine that pays for the recovery of plastic in the ocean.

“I feel very confident and proud of the way Key Club is being run this year as we are gaining more member participation and more recognition as a service club,” junior Service Chair Angelyna Tan said. “Although it will be more difficult to engage with our members over distance learning, we have been working very hard to form socials with other schools and to provide events for members to attend.”

In another large organization, the Red Cross club, students are attending online educational events regarding disaster preparedness, disease awareness, and leadership. Aside from its virtual activities, the club has also been partnering up with community blood drives.

“Many blood drives have been cancelled due to the pandemic, and more recently the fires, so I encourage everyone to participate if they can,” senior President Emily Nham said. “We are struggling with making decisions within our club, such as hour requirements. Still, we are doing our best to adapt to the situation and keep everyone safe.”

Unlike service groups, academic clubs face competition modifications and cancellations. Although the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement club is preparing for its new contest theme, the Computer Technology Matadors was forced to withdraw from a cyber security competition called CyberPatriot.

“Dropping out of the CyberPatriot competition was unfortunate and difficult, but it is likely not something that we can do well in lockdown,” senior President Brandon Tran said. 

Despite how many clubs have adapted to the quarantine, freshman Stephanie Lieu said that she had hoped to do more club events in-person. 

“I wanted to socialize and make more friends, but it does not seem like I can do that since everything is online,” Lieu said. “I did not get to do the events that I heard about from other people. Everything is on a screen. This is just not the experience I was hoping for in high school.”

The district is currently revising policies that determine whether certain clubs will be able to fully operate this year. It is working on a solution that will allow students to participate in clubs without being too burdened by the online restrictions.

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