After a year of decreased involvement in Staples clubs due to COVID-19, students had high expectations going into the 2021 Club Rush event. 

On Oct. 7, during all three lunch waves, the gymnasium was diligently set up with an array of tri-fold posters to promote student run clubs and encourage interested people to sign up. 

Club rush, now known as the involvement fair, is an annual tradition that presents students with a large arrangement of clubs to join as a way to increase their involvement in the school, and find different communities where students can express their own passions and interests. 

Viola Geisman ’22, president of Reshaping Reality, a club prioritizing self love and the de-stigmatization regarding body image and self esteem, said that it was completely necessary to bring this club to Staples.

“With the Staples culture, people tend to get really stressed out about their own self image,” Geisman said. “This club is a great way to connect with new people and to give and receive advice about these issues. We are a really tight knit group and are there to lift each other up.” 

Reshaping reality is a perfect example of a club at Staples that works to bring change within the community and focuses on issues that go beyond the bubble of Westport. Clubs such as Teen Awareness Group, AWARE, Junior States of America and Circle of Friends are other clubs that embody the same idea. 

Friends for Fighters is another club that promotes the ideals of helping those outside of the Westport community.

“This club is about helping kids with cancer and making different things for them to bring to their hospitals,” Finley Cohen ’23 said. “We do this in an attempt to uplift cancer patients’ spirits and be there for kids that need it.”

These clubs are significant to the school environment because they provide a space for students to help make change.

In addition, there are several other clubs at Staples that are focused purely on hobbies. 

Brennan Herold ’22 and Gabe Maiolo ’22 created the aerial photography club because they are two friends that have drones and enjoy going around Westport to take photos. They brought this club to Staples for other kids that want to participate in the same thing.

“We have started helping the Westport Public Library with projects any time that they need drone footage,” Herold said. “It’s really cool being able to learn how to use a drone and use this in our everyday lives.”

Club representatives love being able to use club rush as a way to promote their club and get people to sign up. It’s an interactive and fun way to show students their endless possibilities.

 “We don’t really have any other way for people to learn about our club,” Gleb Syomichev ’23, member of the fencing club, said, “so club rush is really important for us to get more participants.”