With the sun beating down on the track, students poured onto the football field during Flex Time on Friday, Sept. 19 to a sea of tables, posters, and presenters. Over the following 45 minutes, students talked to club leaders, learned about community opportunities, and signed up for clubs as part of La Salle’s annual club fair.

This year’s fair was different in more ways than one.

There are more clubs — from around 20 last year to about 38 now, according to Director of Community and Student Leadership Mr. Quinn Peoples — and for the first time, students used virtual passports as a more long-lasting way for them to track clubs they’re interested in.

“We printed like 700 pieces of paper last year for them to be thrown away after the fair was over, and other students had indicated interest in trying to move to a more virtual space,” Mr. Peoples said. “One, it allows us to track things a little bit better, but it also doesn’t have students carrying around a bunch of things outside of their iPad.”

Mr. Peoples explained the change was made largely due to sustainability and accessibility concerns.

For the same reasons, clubs used smaller posters and plastic sign holders for their tables this year rather than tri-folds, as they easily can be re-used as posters and don’t generate as much waste.

“It’s not really the same vibe as the previous three years, but it’s clear that the clubs have gone through changes,” senior Miles Timberlake said. “I think it’s a pretty good startup so far.”

In general, Mr. Peoples hopes that this club fair will help students find new interests and make new friends.

“I think co-curricular involvement helps you to be a more holistic and well-rounded person,” he said. “I think academics are first and foremost our top priority, but really being able to lean into your interests and your hobbies and do that in community is wonderful.”

Senior Charlotte Robinson, vice president of Key Club — an international student organization geared towards service and citizenship — echoed that sentiment. She hopes to bring more opportunities for service to students at La Salle through Division 66, the school’s branch of Key Club.

“I really want to get more involved in the community, and I also want to get more service hours,” Robinson said. “I would love to lead that for other students.”

Besides service, there are many opportunities for community involvement in La Salle’s clubs. 

For example, Femme STEM — led by juniors Amelia Todd and Eleanor Kreitzberg — is developing several activities this year, such as the Science Olympiad, a mural of endangered species, and a hydroponic garden with fish and plants in the library.

Also represented at the club fair were La Salle’s affinity groups, including the Black Student Union (BSU), Pride Alliance, Unidos, the Middle Eastern Student Union, the Asian American Pacific Islander Club, and All Minds All Bodies.

Each affinity group organizes several different community events throughout the year, from fundraisers at Café Justo to heritage month assemblies. For example, the Pride Alliance, led by senior Clover Martin and junior Ryan Lengkeek, arranges events such as movie nights, fundraisers, Night on Broadway, and other things in collaboration with the theater department and Innovation and Design Center.

“We like to say that we’re equal parts support and advocacy,” Lengkeek said. “It’s just a safe, open space for people to talk about what it means to be queer at La Salle and what it means to be queer in a Catholic community especially.”

These clubs, among many others, look forward to creating connections between Lasallians and having fun throughout the year.

“I’m excited for the community that we’re about to build,” said senior Abby Baye, co-leader of the BSU. “I feel like it’s going to be stronger than ever.”