I have gone to various club meetings throughout my years here at Roseville High. Usually, I go to scope out the club and determine whether or not I would like to give my time and resources to this certain cause. I have only ever stayed in one, however, commonly known as Key Club – an organization in partnership with Kiwanis. Key Club allows us as students to better our school and community through service and fundraisers.

It also allows us as students to form connections. Some of my closest friends are in this club.

I joined officially at the beginning of my junior year, at a time when the majority of the club board members were seniors. This organization, lead by upperclassmen, ran smoothly and excellently. Our club’s Kiwanis advisor never failed to mention how proud he was of our club, especially our leadership team.

We won many awards while attending our California-Nevada-Hawaii District Convention 2018.

Naturally, however, as the school year came to a close, the senior board members got ready to graduate. Those of us who had grown especially close to our senior board struggled not only with saying goodbye to members of our Key Club family – we were saying goodbye to our strong sense of leadership, to the members that had been a part of running this Club for years.
Those of us that were juniors felt the pressure to step up and to continue upholding the success previously established by Roseville Key Club.

Clubs, to ensure continuity, cannot rely just on seniors for guidance.

To say that I am nervous for the coming years of this club would be accurate. I only want the best for future club members and the fear of them not feeling the same support and kindness that I felt in my years is one that comes to mind every now and again. This fear, however, is easily tossed aside when I am reminded about the new precautions we as a club have been taking to ensure future success as far as leadership.

One step we have taken towards ensuring our club’s continued success (that I would love to see other clubs put into practice) is the further inclusion of underclassmen. In order to keep the board educated and keep your club going strong, you have to in a sense teach future generations.

To accomplish this, we have created new board positions of “Class Representatives,” wherein there is a representative for freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes along with the original board members. We as a club hope to see the underclassmen representatives take more of an interest in leadership.

I have seen clubs at RHS grow and blossom under good, strong leadership. Just the same, I have seen clubs who lack the structure and the strong leaders to produce success and those clubs wither away. An example of a new and flourishing club is Latino Student Union. This club is in its first year, involving themselves in many events and activities; securing a prominent presence on our campus.

A club, in order to get their name out there and be more widely recognized, must participate in the activities of Roseville High School. Latino Student Union, leading by example, has taken the initiative of creating an ofrenda to celebrate Día de Los Muertos and as a part of multicultural day. They have also begun working with other clubs and organizations to help themselves organize and structure their own club.

By putting themselves out there, this union is making a name for themselves; they are advertising membership and establishing solid ground from which the club can grow and flourish in the future.

There have been other cliques at Roseville High that, in organizing themselves into a formal club, did not structure their leadership in a way that ensures continuity – and what we end up with is scattered groups of three to five people who will inevitably graduate and phase out and the club will cease to exist.

Last Friday was Club Photo day; a day during which each club on Roseville’s campus with an official club constitution is called in to take their photo featured in the yearbook.

Each year, the clubs displayed in our yearbook change ever so gradually and slightly; the most well-known and successful staying year after year, but those smaller, more unstable clubs fluttering in and out with the student body.

I think these club constitutions being a requirement to take a club photo is a genius idea and another step towards safeguarding the club’s continued success. By creating a constitution for one’s club, they give it a foundation and a basis for growth. They allow it to change with the times and to better suit the needs of a growing club.

It almost gives a sense of security that, if nothing else – after the club founders become seniors and are unable to ensure the club’s continual success – they have provided future generations of members with the basis for club activities.

Clubs at Roseville High provide students a way to connect with their peers over shared topics of admiration and interest. They can give access to volunteer opportunities, deeper bonds with one’s community or even a safe space to be with people who have shared your struggles.

Upperclassmen, be sure to protect those safe spaces for future generations. Include freshmen and sophomores in your club activities, include yourselves in school events and projects that will get you recognized and keep your union organized. Make future club members feel that same sense of warmth and community that you enjoy the comfort of.