Student chatter drones out the morning announcements as they crackle over the PA system, bringing news of the SAT word of the day, administrative information, and meeting dates for an ever-growing list of school clubs. By the time the disembodied voice finishes reading the announcements, the office harbinger has run out of breath and students have lost count of their club opportunities. With the inception of myriad new student body organizations, some critical questions have surfaced. Should there be a limit to the amount of new clubs at Ridge? What about stricter requirements for starting clubs? How many clubs is too many?

These recent student associations, including the Ridge Feminists Club, Literary Magazine, and South Asian Culture Club, undoubtedly initiate discussions about fresh topics. The student populace now has an unparalleled freedom in its ability to pursue personal extracurricular interests. For example, the Ridge Computer Science Club, a complement to the new AP Computer Science course (offered for the first time this year), provides a space for those passionate about previously underrepresented STEM topics to discuss and further develop their interests.

However, despite the influx of student body organizations, there remains a lack of consistent student participation in extracurricular activities, especially among underclassmen. Many incoming freshmen have yet to explore their club options, let alone commit to any student organizations.

Perhaps the cause for such hesitancy among prospective club members is largely due to the difficulties in publicizing and differentiating between so many student organizations. Students and administration alike feel inundated with options, making it harder to promote clubs within relevant populations. For many, tracking meeting dates has become a feat that requires navigating numerous Facebook groups and email alerts. Furthermore, the multitude of student associations at Ridge High School potentially dissuades students from seeking out the clubs that appeal to them. Individual interests can easily be lost in the shuffle of selection. This phenomenon is only worsened by an onslaught of similarly named clubs. Too often, underclassmen don’t even know where to start their searches for student communities to join. The situation is an apt embodiment of the adage, “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”

Hannah Alexander ‘19 explains, “I’m in the film club, which my brother started two weeks ago, but I don’t know how to join any other clubs. It angers me that I’m not in more because being in clubs is good for my social life. I think a lot of freshmen don’t even know how many clubs are offered or where to go because most aren’t well publicized. Some clubs are also basically the same as others, but just named differently.”

Nevertheless, the potential ramifications of exponential club growth are still outweighed by the beneficial creation of new avenues for discovery. Although the expansion of our club selection may make administrative work considerably more difficult, limiting student development of clubs would be an even greater disservice to the student body. Caps on the number of student organizations offered and other similar proposals to curb club growth would effectively eliminate chances for students to discover more about themselves and about the world. When asked, students across the board agree that a fixed number of offered clubs would only exacerbate the dearth of active club members.

Peyton Robb ‘19 elaborates, “I think it’s good to have a lot of clubs. It leaves lots of options. If there is a limit on clubs, then there may be overpopulation in any one club.”

What the Ridge High School community needs is the continued prosperity of purposeful organizations. As long as the student association does meaningful work, then the endeavor should be supported. Nikhil Akenapalli ‘17 agrees, “I think students just need to prove that there is more to their club than the credibility they give it. They need to show that they have a passion for what the club is about. While I think that nowadays too many people create clubs just for the sake of college applications, there still should not be a cap.”

Although the flood of recent student organizations potentially overwhelms students, making it difficult to connect them to fitting student communities, it is apparent that Ridge students remain generally pleased with the variety and access that they have.

Furthermore, many student organizations with similar goals have recently teamed up in efforts to bolster their causes. For example, the newly reinstated Gay Straight Alliance has reached out to both the Feminists of Ridge Club and the longstanding Ridge Ethics Club in an attempt to promote mutual student respect. These instances of club consolidation alleviate some of the confusion caused by too many choices.

The diversification of clubs at Ridge is making our high school truly inclusive of all student interests. The expansion of student organizations ensures that those students seeking to meet with like-minded individuals or wanting to broaden their horizons can find groups that they feel comfortable in. To install a cap on the number of available student organizations is to deny our unique student body relevant opportunities and to make important communities obsolete; thus, development of school clubs definitely should not be limited.