Annual Catlin Gabel Club Fair gets a facelift

Club Fair in action. Photos Courtesy of Kenny Nguyen.

On Sept. 18, the Catlin Gabel (CGS) student body erupted with loud advertising, colorful posters, and crunchy snacks aimed at incentivizing other students to join various student-led clubs. However, this year, Club Fair was a little different.

In early September of each school year, the Upper School hosts Club Fair, where club leaders can present their clubs to the rest of the student body in an assembly and where students can sign up for clubs that interest them. Students have the opportunity to choose which clubs best fit their schedules. Club Fair has everything from cultural appreciation clubs, like Black Student Union and Asian Alliance, to service clubs, like THRIVE and Communicare, to competitive clubs, like Mock Trial and Robotics.

However, this year, instead of having an all-school assembly where clubs got 30 seconds each to make their pitch, Activities Director Kym Herbst and Dean of Students Brandon Woods made Club Fair an actual fair. Tables were set up in the Creative Arts Center Gallery. Each club had posters, signs, fliers, and snacks.

“We wanted to do something more interactive where students could set up and talk to other interested students,” said Herbst.

Of course, there is always room for improvement. After reflecting on this year’s Club Fair, Herbst suggested a few changes for the coming years.

“This year was a little chaotic,” she said. Next year, “We will be more explicit about how tables are set up outside around the gallery to make it more contiguous.”