Club Rush, hosted once annually by Fossil Ridge High School, was developed in hopes of creating a sense of belonging for those new to the Fossil community. Club Rush takes place during Advisory, where a number of students, the majority being freshman, report to the gym and have the opportunity to walk around and learn more about the 50+ clubs and organizations fossil is home to. Mr. Nye, Assistant Principal, said that “when you have a school of 2100 students, you want to find ways they can actively get plugged in, whether that’s through athletics or through clubs and activities.” In addition, he claimed “Club Rush is important because we want to give all of our freshmen, or new students (because that’s primarily who our audience is) a chance to see some options for things they can get plugged into at Fossil beyond athletics.” 

Club Rush is made up of about 20 clubs, all of which send student representatives to encourage new students to be a part of their club or organization. When asked what the importance was of Club Rush, student representatives, including Sofi Orbegoso, claimed that joining an organization like Student Ambassadors “is a really great way to get involved not only in the Fossil community, but the Fort Collins community as a whole.” Others, like Connor Tyree, of Speech and Debate, said that his organization “changed his life so much” and that “he hoped to help other people experience what he had himself by inspiring them to join.” Freshman Kenadie Glasgow claimed that she was “excited to see all the opportunities that Fossil has to offer” and to hopefully find something of interest. 

Overall, Club Rush’s importance is unmatched as far as community involvement goes. Mrs. Kochis, Dean of Students, believes that “all students have to find their pack of people that enjoy the same things as you do,” because your plug-in to school could be a big reason students go to school, because you will find yourself “looking forward to seeing your friends that are a part of the same clubs and activities that you are.” As if that’s not enough, research also demonstrates that kids that are connected to their school, besides just academics, are more successful than those who are not. This goes to prove that the hosting of Club Rush annually contributes greatly to the unity of students and benefits Fossil’s community in more ways than could be named.