On Thursday, September 11th, Upper St. Clair High School held the annual Freshman Rush. On this day all freshman are ushered into the gym where representatives from different clubs set up booths.
These booths are supposed to attract new people to the clubs, which range from Kids Helping Kids to Music Club.Freshmen described the event as overwhelming and chaotic, but that’s half of the fun. With such an energetic and fun atmosphere people may feel more willing to sign up for multiple clubs.
On average, this year’s freshmen signed up for 6 clubs at freshman rush, but plan on attending only 3.There is a club for everyone at Upper St. Clair, whether someone wants to help a good cause or work on his or her passions and talents.
The most popular clubs this year were Kids helping Kids, a club that helps children in the Dominican Republic; Athlete’s taking action, a club where upperclassmen mentor freshmen going into their sport; and Ski Club, the ever popular club where students ride a bus to ski on Friday nights.
Freshmen Alex Amos and Caroline O’Connor said that though the set up is overwhelming, it’s also very effective.
Clubs now have to compete to see who can get the most attention. Some clubs have people playing music or dancing, but some opt for the easiest and possibly most effective approach, free food.
Tons of clubs gave out candy. However this year the Jewish Student Union handed out pizza. Yes, that’s right they gave people who signed up free pizza.
Krisha Monparra and Liv McClelland, both freshmen, said that they signed up for some clubs that took the aggressive approach, like Spanish club. However, in the end, both said they mostly joined clubs where they already knew someone or a friend was joining with them.
Freshman Rush isn’t just important for the freshman, the clubs rely on this day to get new members. Senior Mike DeSantis of the ski club commented, “If there’s one person in a club, you can’t have a club.”
Mr. Edwards, the teacher sponsor for the speech and debate team, values freshman rush. “Freshman rush is always a really, really valuable thing for us.” He went on to say that it brings people to the club who may not have joined otherwise.
This year’s freshman rush was a big success, and clubs this year are already starting to get going.