As the 2020-2021 academic year continues with remote learning due to COVID-19, student-lead clubs have also had to adapt to the virtual space. While all clubs, both new and old, are currently in the process of receiving the official approval to begin their weekly meetings, returning club leaders are reflecting and goal-setting for their individual clubs this year.

Junior Lexi Tooley and newly appointed executive board member to the Black Student Union (BSU), noted the ways in which the board has been preparing for this school year, although remote.

“For BSU we’re about to go on a two-day virtual retreat and just learn and explore new topics that would be good to focus on for the school year,” Tooley said. “And figuring out what we want to teach and bring the new students that are joining BSU for the first time.”

Along with serving on the board of BSU, Tooley also co-leads the Self-Care Club with fellow junior Layla Huber-Verjan. Taking a slightly different approach, Tooley acknowledged the “mental fatigue” that comes with remote learning and wants to promote further time off-screen for her club members.

“For the self-care club we’re assessing the current events, because I know not a lot of people want to be having to take up their lunch break with a club right now,” Tooley said. “But just having the time to relax and take personal time away from all classes.”

Junior Gabby Wolf serves on the executive board of the Girls Empowering Girls Club which discusses feminism in a global, economic and social context while working to educate and empower women on the intersectional feminist movement. Wolf spoke on how COVID-19 has “indirectly affected women” which she plans to share in future club meetings.

“[COVID-19] has indirectly affected women too, because they’re paid so much less than men” Wolf said. “In people’s homes, they can’t leave, how that has affected women with relationships.”

Senior Norah Adler, the co-president of the Archer Community for Sustainability, a returning club that works to educate the Archer community on environmental injustice and conservation. Adler and her partner, senior Ruby Horton, spent the summer planning a curriculum with multiple units to educate their club members during the school year.

“The first unit is on environmental racism so we are planning right now to utilize Instagram that so that we can reach a lot of people especially in the virtual world,” Adler said. “Some of our ideas are having a panel of people to talk about environmental racism.”

Wolf expressed concerns about hosting meetings virtually, as well as developing connections among club members.

“People cherish their free time so much that they don’t always want to go to clubs, which I understand, I get it,” Wolf said. “It’s really hard to be on zoom during that one free lunch break.”

Adler shared similar concerns regarding remote meetings for her club, as she wants to find a “balance” of keeping members engaged but not always on the screen.

“I think my greatest concern I don’t want to be on zoom all the time, your eyes hurt. It’s just not as engaging,” Adler said. “So I think finding a balance of having club meetings and then just having resources for people who are interested to look at.”

While club leaders expressed their own concerns surrounding meetings in the remote space, Tooley acknowledged the “positive” aspects of virtual connection among club and board members.

“It’s fine that we’re all online, we’ll work our way around it,” Tooley said. “Everyone’s at their own pace which is a positive for us.”