One of UHS’ most anticipated fall events is Club Kickoff, a chaotic, exciting extended lunch period during which different clubs at UHS sell food and trinkets to attract new club members and raise funds. Hosted on Oct. 11 during an extended lunch this year, Club Kickoff is incredibly fun and energetic, but successfully executing such a significant event involves lots of work by everyone involved. The clubs themselves put in a major part of this work, as they have to decide how to plan, budget, publicize and prepare for their club stalls before Kickoff day.
While most clubs focus on fundraising and publicization, some newer clubs that may not need as much funding opted to showcase their club activities to the student body rather than selling food. One such club is the newly formed UHS Street Dance Club.
“Our plan was to perform like street performers,” senior and club Co-President Miles Martinez said. “We wanted to do this because it is in the spirit of our club and culture that we are trying to represent. We wanted to focus on getting our name out there because we are a new club.”
Other clubs focused on fundraising and working out the logistics of buying food or getting it delivered. Additionally, many clubs had concerns about ensuring that board members who helped run their booths could enjoy the event themselves.
“Our board had to arrange and ensure there was someone who would be financing [and] bringing the food, a person setting up the tables [and] a system to switch to ensure some of us [could] enjoy Club Kickoff,” senior and UHS Arab Culture Club member Adam Roxy said.
Since there are so many club stalls during Club Kickoff, it can be hard for students to single out certain clubs and decide which ones to join and where to buy food. This is why some clubs, such as UHS DREAMS, a community service club that focuses on volunteering with the special needs community, publicize their mission and the food items they will be selling during Kickoff well in advance.
“[We] sold Korean corn dogs and donuts from Mochinut at Club Kickoff,” junior and UHS DREAMS Club President Sierra Corliss said. “We pubbed our club by posting an Instagram post on our club account to attract people’s attention.”
Food was one of Club Kickoff’s biggest selling points, so clubs had to make countless decisions related to acquiring, buying and selling food.
“For Club Kickoff, I organized what exactly our club was selling and who would be purchasing it,” sophomore and Academic Decathlon Club President Samantha Hanson said. “We had to consider our timeframe, location for where to purchase and who would make the purchase [or] pick up our goods.”
When deciding what to sell, clubs also attempted to connect the items they sold to the topics their clubs focused on. For example, UHS’ Crochet for Care Club sold crochet plushies during Kickoff. On the other hand, UHS’ newly established French Club themed its food items around French culture.
“We brainstormed many foods but ended up choosing crepes and macarons because they are quite obviously French, delicious, easy to prepare and served at room temperature,” junior and Vice President of French Club Aritri Saha said.
Other clubs creatively connected the items they sold with their subject, such as Math Club. At UHS, Math Club Co-Advisor Eric Shulman is known for his strong relationships with students and the impact he leaves on those who are or have been in his class. Math Club decided to put a creative spin on this by selling photos taken of him by students throughout the years.
“We wanted to sell something unique, which would be memorable and enjoyable for everyone, which is why we chose to sell Shulman autographs,” senior and Co-President Minerva You said.
Due to the thought, planning and work put into the event by both clubs and ASB, Club Kickoff was an incredibly memorable, fun and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Additionally, it allowed clubs to showcase themselves and prepare for a successful year at UHS.
“Overall, it was a really fun event to be part of, and we will definitely be at next year’s,” Roxy said.
