Fighting back against COVID: Student organizations adapt to new format

One of the biggest parts of high school is joining clubs and finding friends that are similar to you. Most students join a club or sports team in high school; some join more than others. However, with Covid putting our lives on hold, how are clubs and teams persevering and continuing to function? Due to Covid, student groups have altered under new guidelines.
Cross Country is a prime example of how a sport has seen drastic change to normal procedures.
“Not much has changed with the structure of the practices, we just have to wear masks and stay six feet apart,” sophomore Andrew Brown said. Brown states that although many things have changed in cross country the base of the sport has stayed the same.
“The season was extremely long this year. We started our training in June as usual and after the season got postponed, we didn’t end until January,” Brown said.
Too Much Improv focuses on playing games and performing improv. Although they still meet, the club has not been able to do typical club activities due to Covid guidelines.
“We used to do virtual improv, but it’s definitely not the same and we’ve had to postpone meetings,” junior Kinsley Osbourne said.
Because most clubs have had to resort to having their members join online meetings, participation has decreased as students find themselves forgetting meeting dates and times. Seasoned members fear that club attendance for the following years may decline as a result. While others believe that the students’ love for the club will keep it going.
“I’m not worried about attendance for my improv club because I think that everyone is just excited to be back,” theatre teacher Caleb Dalby said.
Each year, the school performs a musical which allows students who like to sing and act to have an outlet to do so. Many students join clubs like the musical for the first time to broaden their high school experience.
“This is my first time in the musical, and we started during Covid; we’ve been wearing masks and social distancing at our rehearsals,” sophomore Fredrick Tyson said.

Although many of the clubs have changed formats this year, students can still seek out opportunities to join clubs and may even end up loving what they’re doing.
“I love being in the cast of the musical, and I love spending time with [the cast],” Tyson said.
Although Covid has been a struggle for many, students still have plenty of chances to enjoy the time they are at school. To find out additional information on clubs who are accepting new members, check out the Sun Valley High School home page under the parents and students tab.