180: the number of clubs on campus for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Portola High Club List. But of this sum, how many are truly distinct from one another?

Clubs are opportunities for students to be involved in the school community. With this objective in mind, clubs should continue to be merged in order to foster solidarity across Portola High’s student body while still providing diverse paths for navigating one’s interests. 

When determining whether clubs should be merged, contributions to Portola High are considered, according to ASB Clubs Commissioner and senior Ryan Hattar. 

“When filling out a club application form, one of the questions is ‘what is your drive?’” Hattar said. “And so, depending on what contributions are good to Portola, then we’ll link it up with other clubs.”

By merging clubs that have similar activities, purposes or goals, students will be able to come together and build rapport.  

The primary reason for club merging is to foster this communal effect across Portola High. By combining clubs and creating a collective mission statement, students can learn the value of coming together in common interest to pursue their hobbies and passions.

“The main purpose of merging clubs is to create one community for a sort of culture or VAPA or interest or sport club, instead of having multiple communities of that in it,” Hattar said.   

Merging clubs can provide diverse opportunities for students. Since many clubs are geared towards certain passions, ranging from the medical field to environmentalism, students can explore various potential career pathways. While there is a large variety of clubs students can join for this purpose, an excessive amount can divide one’s attention, making commitments more difficult, according to Counselor Ryan Itchon. 

Some may claim that clubs should be kept separate because of nuanced differences. For instance, one of the two crochet clubs on campus is based on community service while the other is not, according to co-President of the PHS Crochet Club, freshman Anusha Jauhri, one of these two clubs in reference.

However, merging clubs will still preserve their implied differences by combining their unique objectives and providing the advantage of a wider audience. With this combined effort, merged groups can drive each club to further heights. More members can share hobbies, opening the path for making new friends and taking stronger initiative. 

“By combining and merging clubs I feel like it’s a better fit because it allows for better collaboration and hopefully makes the chances of a club being more active a lot higher,” Itchon said.  

By embracing the benefits of club merging, a more dynamic school environment that allows students to pursue their interests and forge connections with like-minded individuals is possible.