Clubs Go Virtual for the 2020-21 School Year

Ryne Dunman and Kate Hayashi|September 2, 2020

Kate Hayashi

Requiring club meetings to remain virtual even in the event students return to in-person instruction allows IVA students to continue to participate in clubs.

Clubs will meet in a virtual setting for the entire school year and can include students from both the Irvine Virtual Academy (IVA) and hybrid learning models, according to clubs commissioner and junior Britney Vuong’s announcements at the club interest meeting on Aug. 28.

Clubs that have been renewed are free to begin holding meetings as soon as they desire, and new clubs may hold meetings as soon as ASB sends out the list of approved clubs on Sept. 10. All club activities, including fundraisers, must be conducted online, even in the event that hybrid students return to in-person instruction.

“I know some clubs like CHOC and Make-A-Wish this year, they’re doing some online fundraising such as drive-in movies or selling stickers online for people,” Vuong said. 

Academic Decathlon club president and senior Aamina Khaleel expressed that the transition to virtual instruction has been both a blessing and an impediment to club functions.

Over the summer, Academic Decathlon hosted Zoom study sessions, using PDF resource guides to prepare for an entirely-virtual scholastic competition this school year.

“I think that going virtual has actually made things a bit easier in my opinion because you have a restriction of meeting in school, so technically more students are able to meet online,” Khaleel said. “But our only issue right now is that, because we’re not able to access fundraising opportunities at school, we’re not able to raise money for our club. So, we’re just trying to brainstorm ideas to help us fund our competitions.”

High School Youth Action Team Club co-president and junior Amy Chen expressed optimism for the move, viewing it as an opportunity for students to engage in a larger variety of clubs.

“It’s certainly possible that clubs that require more of a physical presence will find ways to adapt to these new circumstances,” Chen said. “I would take this new online format and spin it into an opportunity to join clubs that I am interested in but previously wouldn’t participate in because of schedule conflicts.”

Club Kick-Off, which typically takes place at the beginning of the school year as a way for clubs to attract new members, is set for Sept. 18 during students’ lunch period. Vuong will provide a Google Doc with club descriptions and links to each participating club’s Zoom meetings.