July 2, 2024
Student Participation Plummets Despite Increase in Clubs
By John Myers
By Diana Villano
Located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, The Urban Assembly Academy of Government and Law (AGL), is a 9-12 high school that is part of the Seward Park Campus. Consisting of 349 students, AGL is a small, close-knit school. Filled with diversity and cultural appreciation, students maintain amiability and integrity as the less populated school allows them to better express themselves. This is represented during AGL’s celebration for National Hispanic Heritage Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and creative activities such as painting in honor of Black History Month. Surprisingly, while students feel welcomed, comfortable, and engaged in the school setting, their devotion to school clubs has been declining.
As the 2023-2024 school year began, AGL hosted its yearly club fair on October 16, 2023. 13 clubs were represented. The fair consisted of mostly 9th and 10th graders roaming through the Northern gym, holding posters, and filling the signature boxes on the sign-up sheets. There is usually a lack of participation in the annual club fair, making this one rather successful. Despite this, the weeks passed by, and the club rooms started to get deserted as only a few students were found consistently attending sessions.
The Law Team, Art Club, Writer’s Workshop Club, National Honor Society, Student Government, Senior Committee, and Financial Literacy Club are some of the clubs offered at AGL. The longer-lasting clubs are usually supervised by the same teacher, allowing them to provide advice to the students. Christopher Torres, an English teacher at AGL, says he has “coached the law team for the past 11 years”.
Teaching at AGL for 12 years, Torres has had his share of moments and laughs with his students as he prepares them for the yearly moot court and mock trial city competition. One thing he has noticed, however, is the lack of commitment students have to clubs this year. “There’s definitely a decline compared to previous years. Students do not like to participate in clubs at AGL. I think there’s a culture around not wanting to stay after school or do additional ‘work’”.
Max Bloom, another English teacher at AGL, has noticed this recent trend and says, “I think we have a few more clubs at AGL this year than in the recent past. Most clubs seem to have similar problems, though, with getting students to show up consistently and with finding a time that works for everyone.” Bloom oversees the new Writer’s Workshop Club, which meets once a week during AGL’s lunch period. Bloom states, “I believe that creative writing is enjoyable and worthwhile in and of itself – expressing ourselves, thinking about the world, experimenting with language, and reading other student’s work.”
Bloom says that “This iteration of the club is entirely due to Katie.” Katie Martinez, a senior at AGL, had assisted the club fair as she took over the table in Bloom’s place. One of Katie’s main interests is writing, which motivated her to rebuild the club. “I enjoy the activity; it brings me comfort and joy.” As president of the writing club, Katie has recognized an issue at AGL. She claims that AGL should “try to choose some other day of the week because just Tuesday won’t make students be involved in the clubs”. Unfortunately, without a supervisor at the school, AGL cannot allow its teachers or students to hang out after school. The only day they are available is Tuesday, so all after-school activities take place on this day.
Katie also believes that club participation “has an impact on college applications.” It “builds social skills, allows students to pursue their interests, and allows students to practice a myriad of skills that will be applicable in the ‘real world.” Bloom says that “Clubs are often where people really figure out what they enjoy and what they’re good at, in addition to being a really good way for new college students to make friends with like-minded peers. In terms of creative writing, I believe a lifelong engagement with reading and writing is the best way to stay curious, continue learning, and to engage with the world and our own minds as we become older–but I’m biased, of course.”
