Club Fair Showcases Multitude of Milton Extracurriculars

By Darby Yang ‘26

On September 19th, co-heads and board members of the 94 clubs at Milton set up their stands and welcomed curious students to their booths.

From culture to math, literature to science, gardening to chess, Milton’s clubs cover a vast variety of subjects—  but all are united under a single purpose: to give students a place to explore their interests. “The purpose [of clubs] at Milton is for students to share their passions with the community and also have a space with others who enjoy the same things. It provides connection and also outreach to the broader Milton community,” stated Kelly Reiser, Director of Student Activities. Similarly, Elizabeth Sim ’27, a co-head of Hallyu Club, Milton’s Korean culture club, stated that she believes “[clubs] allow [students] to explore areas other than what they normally learn in the classroom.” Clubs are an opportunity for Milton students to participate in events that they have always wanted to do and also a time for them to try new things.

Sim applauded the format of Club Fair, observing that “[Students] get to look at so many different clubs at once and have access to all of this information.” Many booths provided sign-up forms and QR codes to gauge student interest;some even displayed pictures of past projects or offered samples for the taking, such as TMP’s copies of the first edition of the year,  or Gardening Club’s lettuce sprouts. Another important aspect of Club Fair is the presence of student leaders at their stand. “The purpose of having student leaders there [is so] they can talk to students and answer questions about what [they] do, how the meetings are run, and how often they meet. I think it’s nice to have that face-to-face,” Reiser shared. While many clubs send emails in the weeks following Club Fair, they can be overwhelming and uninformative. Asking questions and having conversations with club leaders can help students learn more about the clubs they want to join. 

The fair itself is a long-standing tradition that has gone through multiple iterations over the past years. At one point, the “Activities Shop-Around” had taken place during lunch and in the evening, but upon reflection, the administration decided that holding the fair during the club blocks would make it most convenient for students, maximizing attendance. However, the recent removal of Club Block 4 loomed over many students’ minds as they wandered through the aisles in the ACC, and many expressed concern about which clubs they would be able to attend this year. Rhys Adams ’26, the co-head of four clubs, stated, “Clubs are one of the greatest things about Milton. Having student organizations is critical to good school culture, and since we are so busy, we can’t do important or interesting things on our own...so it’s very important that we keep having clubs and that we don’t keep seeing our club blocks being eroded by the administration.”

The reason behind the change was the data collected from a survey earlier this spring. Sent out by the administration, the survey included questions about topics such as the number of clubs students participated in and how many club leadership positions they had. “It was very clear from the data that students did not like club block up against extra help,” Reiser explained. The data also showed that very few students attended more than 3 clubs. Thus, the administration had to make the difficult decision of having only three club blocks this year.

“First, we know making choices is hard, and we also need to do it. We need to practice making hard choices,” Reiser said, in response to student concerns around club meeting overlaps. “We want students to be able to make those choices...It’s kind of this less is more mentality.”Reiser went on to explain that students have a limited amount of time and effort that they can spend on planning meetings and events, so the administration would prefer if student leaders prioritized only a few clubs instead of holding too many leadership positions and not being able to dedicate their full attention to each. However, the consequences of this decision are still unclear. As the first few months pass, perhaps the administration will once again adjust the schedule based on student opinion.