BY GENNA NORDLING
Typically, Rush Week is known as the week when fraternities and sororities recruit new students for their Greek organization. At CCHS, however, it is the week for clubs and sports to get as many students as possible to sign up for their respective clubs in order for them to have enough members to operate for the rest of the year.
Rush Week is more than just clubs handing out flyers- it’s excited chatter from a large crowd, pens scribbling on sign-up sheets and popular music blaring from the speakers of the Student Government Association (SGA) table. This year, Rush Week occurred on Monday, August 27 through Thursday, August 30, with the first two days allocated to clubs and the last two to sports.
Rush Week is considered to be one of the most important weeks of the year by many students. Since the school’s website is often outdated, Rush Week is an accurate way of knowing what extracurriculars are offered at CCHS.
“[Rush Week] allows us to see what clubs there are and are [available] for us to sign up [for] and know when they are,” junior Rebecca Belleza said. “[This year] I’m going to be in Art Club and Science Club.”
“It’s good to be involved in the school and it’s better to start early.”
It is no secret that colleges look for students involved in extracurricular activities, and National Honor Society (NHS) requires their members to have 30 service hours and two leadership positions. So, many freshmen aiming to get into college or NHS like to start early so they meet the requirements.
“Freshmen should get involved during Rush Week so [they] can join clubs and have out-of-school activities to enjoy,” freshman Danielle Rothschild said. “It’s good to be involved in the school and it’s better to start early.”
Though it is informational, many students looking for new clubs find Rush Week fun. They get to walk around with their friends during lunch, listen to music and eat candy that many clubs passed out as an incentive to join.
“Rush Week is our biggest opportunity to get new members.”
During this week, it is vital for clubs to attract members; they will do anything to grab the attention of students. Candy, music, memes and photo opportunities are some of the many tactics used to gain new members.
More often than not, students know about the larger, more popular clubs before Rush Week. Clubs like SGA, Key Club and Best Buddies usually draw in lots of members because of their reputation. Since larger clubs dominate membership, Rush Week is especially important for smaller, lesser-known clubs such as French Club, Tips for Tails or Science Club.
“French Club is a fairly small club on the CCHS Campus, so Rush Week is our biggest opportunity to get new members to continue the club,” senior and French Club President Svetlana Johnson. “So, it’s super important that we get people to sign up right now.”
The importance of Rush Week was recognized by every party involved. Whether someone was joining a club or sport or promoting a small or large club, everyone knew that the week would affect the rest of the school year.
Photo by Genna Nordling
