By Melica Mahmoudi
Clubs are a vital part of the Granada Hills Charter tradition. The thrill of discovering a new club and having that sense of community is a meaningful part of high school. Before the pandemic, students found joy in discovering a new hobby and being supported by a circle of like minded people. Though now, impacted by Covid, hosting a club is becoming more of a challenge as students struggle to find club advisors willing to open their rooms at lunch.
As a result, some students were unable to complete the application to form their clubs.
“I am still hoping that I get to see all the clubs and work that students put into their projects come to life. I think that with the current pandemic, there might be alterations to how to handle clubs on campus, but I still am excited to see what happens in the near future,” said freshman, Melody Mahmoudi.
Some students feel a sense of rejection in being unable to find an advisor, resorting to emailing random teachers asking for help. This is discouraging for those students who were looking forward to a return to normalcy after online school.
“Locating an advisor for our club took a lot longer than it would have before the pandemic. Although it did take a great amount of time and dedication, it’s good to know that there is still some hope for clubs here at Granada,” said senior and vice president of “Girl Up” club, Kailyn Maranan.
Due to the pandemic, some teachers and faculty feel that it is not safe for students to host club meetings in classrooms. Some teachers are uncomfortable eating lunch with a club in the room. Others are concerned with issues of contact tracing, as it might be more difficult in a club situation.
“Being a club advisor takes time and often us teachers only have access to free time during our lunch period,” psychology teacher Colin Strand said
Going door to door, trying to find a teacher to advise their clubs has often made these ambitious students lose their passion in their endeavors.
“All we ever want for students is to enjoy and make the most of their time at high school. Clubs and activities are so important as they can help shape students’ hobbies and interests. We know that today there may be some inconveniences where students can’t meet at clubs for contact tracing reasons, but we hope that in the near future we can see the upside of our pandemic school year,” administrative director Julian Gomez said.
Students came back to in-person school in the hopes that their lives would return to normal. While disappointed, students understand the extreme circumstances due to the pandemic and hope positive changes will happen in the future.
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