With the new school year afoot, a pertinent question looms over Haldane students: What clubs should I join? Thankfully, Haldane High School hosted a club fair on Tuesday, September 9, during 10th period, for students to peruse through and possibly sign up for various clubs and interest groups. They were able to look at posters and mission statements, and talk to club representatives and officers about groups they were interested in.
Freshman Opal Herman had a positive experience with her first club fair: “The club fair introduced me to many wonderful groups of people and many new clubs,” she said. Herman also noted that being in a club as a freshman has helped her meet new people and connect with others.
Clubs are a key part of the high school experience, often appearing on high school resumées and college applications. A 2025 study by Tara Bartlett and Miri Yemini published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence suggests that club participation is also a key area for youth to explore activism and civic engagement by participating in student-led initiatives that “mirror” similar initiatives in their wider communities.
Haldane High School social worker Scott Many described Haldane’s club culture as extremely strong and student-centered. When asked about patterns he’s seen in club popularity and participation, he said, “The trends that appear are solely based on the students and their current interests.” Many added that clubs are often the way students start to become more comfortable in a school setting, and they help students gain new and important skills and friendships. He noted that students should find comfort in the fact that clubs are more flexible and low-pressure than classes.
High school principal Julia Sniffen had a similar answer when asked about the club culture at Haldane. “There are so many avenues to look at, and some of them are just for sheer fun and enjoyment,” she said. Using the example of the Chess Club, Sniffen stated, “That club is often just playing the game, but it’s great to have that as another option in high school, as opposed to just the regular courses that you take.”
This year, students might have noticed that the Club Fair was more bustling than usual, with the addition of more new tables than ever before. Sniffen estimated around 30 tables, including longstanding clubs like History Club and Debate Club, and new ones as well. But Sniffen clarified that these new tables are not considered clubs yet; they are instead labeled as “interest groups” that must exist for 3 years before they can earn the title of club. Sniffen noted that while most of these student groups use the word ‘club’ in their name, groups that have earned the official status as a ‘club’ receive an investment of school funds to pay their faculty advisers and can elect a treasurer and have the privilege of a club monetary account. The process of creating an interest group that can later evolve into a club is lengthy, but Sniffen emphasized that clubs always stem from student-led initiative.
Among the notable interest groups that have arisen this year, the Culinary Club is a place for students to cook and learn gastronomical skills. Faculty advisor Kyle Sullivan said that the feedback has been “wildly positive,” and he’s overjoyed to see so many students interested in expanding their culinary skills. However, they are no longer looking for new members. Another addition to Haldane is the ACT Club, which targets “Action for Community Transformation” and aims to encourage students to be involved in their community. Junior Clara Gelber said that the creation of this club was inspired by her and her friends wanting to do something that was “[a way] to help upperclassmen with National Honor Society hours and for underclassmen to get community through things they’re interested [in]”. She believes that clubs are important to students because they encourage kids to explore their interests, put themselves out there, and create new friendships. Students who are interested in joining the ACT Club can contact Gelber, junior Una Lentz, or junior Polina Buslovich.
While these are just a few of the new groups around school, other clubs at Haldane have been around for much longer and are more well-known. One club that many students are invested in is Model UN, run by faculty adviser and social studies teacher Kaitlyn Secor. Model UN is a club that focuses on simulating the United Nations through activities like conferences and debates on a wide variety of global issues. Secor said that she believes that students can gain beneficial skills from a club like this, including things like learning about global topics and meaningful speaking. She said, “because they’re being assigned a particular country, students have to take on the persona of that country, so they’re forced to learn about that country’s perspective.” She continued, “Then, when they’re in these mock conferences, they’re engaged in debate and they’re engaged in conversations where they have to compromise and collaborate with other countries that have different perspectives, so they’re learning other countries’ perspectives and how to come up with solutions to problems.”
Secor also said one of her favorite memories of Model UN was when the club went on an overnight conference to the University of Connecticut. “We had such a long weekend, late nights, they’re on committees all day, it’s exhausting, and on the way home on the bus, these kids are doing math homework, and I think that’s just a testament to the character of these kids and how determined they are to do well,” she said. If you’d like to join Model UN, you can contact Secor.
At the beginning of the year, when students are choosing which clubs to join, they can often get overwhelmed because there are so many different ones to choose from. Haldane’s school social worker, Scott Many, advised that a way to learn how to balance school, sports, and other extracurriculars is talking to a trusted adult, including school counselors, and a key part of those conversations can be reframing the situation. Many added, “Sometimes kids find it’s the fear of being overworked. And it’s not often your reality, but if it is, then changing the reality is okay too.” Speaking positively of the club culture at Haldane, Many noted, “Clubs are the soul of any school.”
