As 2024 came to a close and the second semester rushed in, clubs at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) finally settled into their routines. After the annual Club Rush, students were enticed to join and engage in the variety of clubs offered on campus, but since then, many clubs have faced one major issue: lack of participation.
This year at Club Rush, a Foothill Tech tradition, a record number of new clubs were introduced. Although many students eagerly signed up for clubs, this enthusiasm has faded as the school year has progressed. Many clubs face sporadic to no participation, resulting in major challenges for leaders who need a quota of constituents to stay running.
Aadhya Bavkar ‘25, vice president of the Political Discourse Club, explained that “participation has kind of been low this year … we always start with a good group of people, like the first meeting has like 15 people or 20, and it always ends up being like maybe five that actually show up consistently.”
Rhea Gill ‘25 reiterated this issue, pointing out the difficulties within club leadership, explaining, “It’s like at club rush … every single year, more and more clubs are showing up. I think that a lot of students are so new to the club process that they don’t really know what it looks like … [and] they don’t really know how to make their way through, which makes it difficult for them, you know, in turn, to continue the club.”
One issue that students brought up was scheduling, with some Dragons struggling to make it to their clubs. Andres Aguayo ‘27 shared his experience, saying that “it was just very inconvenient at the times because they kept changing the schedule … Since I’m a FIRE leader, I don’t have time to attend those meetings and when I do, I show up late,” adding that clubs could improve by having “a fixed schedule.”
Past club patterns reflect current issues, as seen by Gill. “Community service isn’t mandatory anymore, so people don’t go out of their way to seek more opportunities that serve others and that help others, which you can often find through clubs,” she said. As Associated Student Body (ASB) President and Red Cross Club President, Gill emphasized her thoughts on this club decline, saying, “I think that a lot of people are finding more passions and creativity outside of school, because that’s been more accessible in recent years. So, people don’t need to find a club to find their group of people.”
Creating a greater sense of unity and belonging at Foothill Tech could combat this problem. When asked about the ways to improve the participation rates, ASB advisor and Foothill Tech teacher Melanie “Captain” Lindsey suggested that “the more that we can get kids connected to each other, to various things that they’re interested in, to ways to have fun on campus, then we typically see participation grow. So, I think it’s doubling down our efforts to find ways for the kids to get connected.”
While these efforts could prove effective, Captain made it clear that “this year has been a low participation year across the board. We’re seeing fewer numbers at all of the dances that we’ve had. The whole year seems to be a little, I don’t know, clunky, so I’m not sure what that’s about.”
Brandon Chang ‘26 put in his perspective as the Chess Club President. “I’d say compared to last year, we’ve definitely had an increase in people coming by for the club,” he explained. He went on to say, “The amount of people actually participating and playing chess is lower though, as some people who come are there for their friends and don’t play,” showing that despite having members, participation in club activities is low.
Even freshmen at Foothill Tech can attest to this trend. Alex Montoya ‘28, a new member of Card Club, shared, “For [Card Club] we kind of just show up and nothing is set up so we all do random stuff. Half of us don’t even play.”
However, Montoya did say that clubs are “very accessible and welcoming [for freshmen]. Definitely not a problem with that.” He also has ideas for improved participation, sharing, “I would try to make [meetings] a little more planned out.”
While Foothill Tech’s clubs are facing challenges for a myriad of reasons, the student body appears to be brainstorming fresh ideas and solutions to revitalize participation. Time will only tell if engagement will increase, plateau or continue to plummet.
