Every year, in the beginning of the fall term, Hill hosts the Club Fair to showcase the diverse clubs the student body has to offer. It is an opportunity for students to explore their options and get to know each organization. This year, the Club Fair was held on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. Each club created two-minute “sales pitch” videos to introduce themselves which allowed students who were not on campus to tune in as well. Though they were not stationed at their booths the whole night, club leaders were also there to answer any questions so students could get a better idea of which clubs they might have an interest in joining. As a safety precaution, the club booths were spread across campus to avoid creating large crowds.

In previous years, the Club Fair was held on the Quad where each club would have its own booth as the main opportunity for students to learn about the clubs. However, as with most aspects of this school year, the Club Fair needed to be a mix of in-person and online in order to accommodate remote students and day students who were not on campus. The two-minute videos act as an additional resource for students to find out what they need to know about all the clubs. For those who were able to attend the event in-person, having these videos will also be helpful in case they did not manage to get around to all the clubs that they are curious about. 

Soon after the Club Fair, club meetings and activities will start up once again. According to Student Life Coordinator Laura McConney, meetings will likely be “a continuation of a hybrid model” similar to the type used in classrooms so that “remote students will be able to enjoy the same thing they would’ve if they were on campus.” These meetings will occur on Friday nights or the weekends. The school plans to take advantage of all the outdoor spaces as well, so that clubs can have more options when meeting in person. 

“I think it will be very hard to hold events and meetings. One of our most successful events last year was Diwali. Obviously, with COVID we will not be able to do that; however, we still hope to do some type of celebration whether it be in flocks or online,” said Mallika Saluja ’21, co-president of the South Asian Student Association. However, Saluja is assured that SASA will still find a way to meet despite new restrictions. 

As life at the Hill School gets back into the familiar rhythm, clubs are going to play their part as well.

“[This year will be] a transition year where the ethos around clubs in general is going to define in some ways what the school is about moving forward,” McConney said.