For as long as education has been a concept, there has been the concept of after-school gatherings. From a few people meeting behind the school to big gatherings of many walks of life, clubs are foundational to a student’s overall experience at the school, finding out one’s identity, finding friends for years to come, and just finding hobbies one wouldn’t find otherwise. However, Lake Stevens High School clubs face a rampant problem that has yet to be solved: a lack of people actually showing up.

“Yeah, I’m in Video Game Club. There’s like, usually 20, 25 people there, on average. But it’s one of the popular clubs, so… I don’t think that’s a lot of people,” said junior Noah Ihlenfield. 

There are many clubs available, but there is a severe lack of participation that struck down many promising clubs. Hi-Q, the Lake Stevens Dance Team, and the Anime Club were all clubs that, for one reason or another failed to draw members and shut down because of it. It could be a lack of advertising, a general fear of being seen as others, or just simple disinterest, but the result remains the same. This only leaves options like certain sports or options that may not be a given student’s ideal extracurricular activity, which can seriously limit a student’s experience at the school and provide very little social experience. More to the point, a lack of a club can actually discourage somebody from interacting with others.

“The biggest problem with not having a whole lot of clubs is that I can’t really get a grip on who’s who and what kind of things people like in general. Like, imagine if you had to go to a party, but, not only do you not know anyone there but you’re actually spat on if you try to reach out. It’s weird,” said senior Michael Holmes.

There continue to be clubs that flourish, that have a good reputation, and a sizable membership. There are general diversity clubs, and inclusivity within niche clubs is a lot more common. However, aside from the sports, which remain as popular as ever, clubs as a whole have seen significant downfalls in popularity and membership, contributing to the apathy of being a part of one, or feeling like there’s nothing for an individual to enjoy completely. 

“I think we need more clubs; there’s not a whole lot super out there. Like, gardening would be a really good opportunity to keep our school looking pretty and get some community service hours,” junior Jacob Daane said. 

Thankfully, if one desires to make their own club or reform one that was lost, all one needs to do is drum up enough interest in its existence, find an advisor willing to host it and pitch it to the ASB.