Students rush towards the cafeteria, eager to get to lunch. On two special September days, they are not excited for pasta, sushi or a custom sandwich. Instead, they submerge themselves into an area filled with color, music and excitement. “Join Cancer Alliance!” “Sign up for the Debate Team!” “TAG is the place for you,” students shout down the hallway. 

Staples hosted its annual involvement fair, or formally known as club rush, in the hallways surrounding the cafeteria on Sept. 21 and 22. During all three lunch waves, students from all grades gathered around the large selection of colorful posters, displaying a variety of well-loved returning clubs, along with new ones, designed to grab students’ attention and recruit new members.

For students a part of the ’26 class, this was the first time they have had the opportunity to sign up for a Staples club. Many students, like Tatum Tighe ’26, were eager to become involved in opportunities that being in a club at Staples provides, yet prior to attending the fair was unaware of how and which clubs she wanted to join. 

“I thought club rush was a much more effective option on signing up for clubs vs online because you were able to get a visual on what the clubs consist of,” Tighe said. “It was helpful to have members of the club there for you to ask questions and communicate about the contents of the club and whether or not it would be the right choice for you to join.”

Many club representatives use the fair to increase involvement in their group in an interactive and fun way. Emma Madoff ’23, president of the Key Club, a club based around local community service, says club rush is vital for gaining new participants.

“This year, we are excited to hopefully get a lot of new members,” Madoff said. “Right now most of our club consists of upperclassmen.”

Another benefit to the fair is that relatively new clubs have the opportunity to introduce themselves and tell why their club is a good addition to Staples. Tessa Cassell ’24 is Co-President with Talia Moskowitz ’24 of the ASL (American Sign Language) club that was started last year. They are eager to share the significant impact of learning ASL. Together, they established the first sign language club at Staples. Their goal is to teach basic ASL with videos and pictures. Along with this, they are starting a program at the Westport Public Library in November. 

“The purpose of the club is to educate people on not only basic sign language skills, but to also spread awareness and knowledge of the deaf community,” Cassell said. “Everyone should have some understanding of sign language skills. These skills you can use to communicate and understand people with hearing issues or loss.”

Anya Nair ’24, president of Educate the Elementary, a club promoting positive diversity teachings for elementary school students, says that she started her club in 2020 because diversity education for younger ages has been lacking these past years. Kaya Law ’24, Co-director of activism, says her interest in the club sparked when she realized it gives the younger generation a more accurate world view.

“Club rush is important for us because we want to keep people inspired to educate and get involved in the community,” Law said. “I’ve been really excited to see that this year students are really passionate about becoming involved in a variety of the clubs offered here.”