Clubs Continue Despite Distanced Learning

Back in 2018, when Dion Lambert (class of 2019) founded the Anime Club, then-freshman Billy Rosas was first in line to join. Now a junior, Billy has continued the tradition, hosting many events, including one at his own house.

Now, along with junior Edith Naranjo and senior Abraham Bojorquez, Billy is hosting meetings every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 over Zoom. 

“It’s more of a way so that kids can just relax after school, destress, and just enjoy a nice show with others and kind of grow as a community,” Billy said. 

Anime Club has always watched many movies and shows and now, in the virtual world, they are expanding to attend virtual Anime Expositions, which are events where regular anime fans can interact with other fans and even creators of anime. On Oct. 16, the Anime Club hosted a movie screening and 15 students attended. 

With the move to distance learning, some clubs find it difficult to keep alive the well-known family feeling of student-run clubs. That sense of bonding is important to all clubs, and especially so for the Gender and Sexuality Club (GSC). 

 “Moving things online is tough for GSC because something that was really important about the club before is that it provides a safe space for students to discuss gender and sexuality issues on campus, away from home” said dorm Residential Faculty Amy Cummings, one of the GSC advisors. “With everything going online, school and home are the same place, so it might not always be safe or comfortable for everyone to discuss these issues at home.” 

The GSC held its first meeting on Oct. 15 during Midterm Project Week. The club will be trying to come up with creative ideas like sending out email newsletters to inform students on special events like National Pronouns Day. 

Interact Club has also been holding meetings Thursdays during lunch to discuss upcoming activities such as the blood and food drives and how they will be affected by the pandemic. 

Other clubs that have met in the past, such as K-Pop and Chess, are not meeting now.