How to Start a Club in High School (Step-by-Step Guide) 

The years you spend in high school can be way more impactful than you might imagine. Not only is a good time to improve your GPA for your college applications, it’s also a good time to begin branching out, making new friends, and finding ways to make a positive impact in your community.

At NSHSS, we believe that a good way to accomplish this is by joining a club that your school has in mind. But sometimes your high school may not offer the club for a topic you’re interested in. That’s okay, you can always just make one yourself. In this blog, we’re going to look at how you can start a club, including the many benefits of starting one. Check out below for how to get tomorrow’s adventure started today!  

The Origins of Your Club

• School clubs are defined as “an organized student group, usually supervised by a staff member, that meets during non-instructional time to pursue shared interests, hobbies, or academic goals.”
• In order to start one that you will be committed to, select a topic or hobby that you feel the most passionate about, preferably one that can be shared with fellow students. 
• Remember that these topics or hobbies can range from video games to D&D campaigns, to a love of mystery novels, to oceanography. 

The Key Ingredients 

• Select and approach a teacher you are comfortable with who might also share the same passion for your club’s chosen topic. 
• Find the best times of the week to meet, as well as any weekends where you can expand the meeting into more comprehensive activities.
• Build an itinerary for the first meetings, including key roles for each member of the club in order to establish an order to how the meetings are run. Just because a teacher is overseeing it, doesn’t mean they’re running the show. A club is your time to really develop great leadership skills.  

Impacts Abound 

• If you find a topic, a teacher, and a timeframe that works best for you, then your new club could be a great resource to expand your knowledge, forge new friendships, and of course get better experience in the topic you’ve chosen. 
• By taking charge and starting a new club, you will gain fantastic leadership skills that you can carry forward with you in life. 
• A club is a fantastic extracurricular activity to place on your college resume. Getting the best grades is important, but colleges also want to invest in you as a well-rounded person, and a history of starting a successful club with a niche, uncommon topic like “The Sherlock Holmes Fan-Club”, or “Tasting Teas From Around The World” is really going to help you stand out.  

In the end, no matter what topic you choose or however many students you get to join your club, what matters most is that you enjoy it. We all have to attend classes and do homework we’re not as interested in, but a club is a choice to really explore your true passions. So, build your club with care, with excitement, and with a zest for learning. You will be surprised and thrilled by the results!