Club hours challenge students with little time

Sophie Webb, Social Chair, Social Media Manager

Several students at Fossil Ridge High School are not meeting the expected hour requirements, which begs the question if this blame falls on the students or the lack of opportunities. 

Through meetings and announcements, clubs at Fossil attempt to supply hour opportunities to bustling students.

Those who participate in every hour event are able to earn the correct amount of hours in a short time frame but those who have jobs, participate in sports, and have an overall busy schedule often find themselves lacking in their hour logs.  

Junior Ava Mannlein works four days a week, dedicated to her job and schoolwork. She struggles to find time to maintain her hours. “When they announce that there is an hour’s opportunity twenty-four hours in

advance I’m stuck because I am already scheduled to work,” Mannlein says.

Whether clubs have been canceling their most recent meetings or supplying limited opportunities, members are falling behind.

Most hour opportunities already overlap with after-school activities and for some clubs, members feel the only chance for hours is through tutoring which fills up almost immediately, along with other small activities. 

Depending on the club, meetings are either held monthly or bi-weekly, trying to spread the word for opportunities to keep their members in good standing. 

Kathryn Rude, English teacher at Fossil and leader for NEHS says, “I think the honor society could provide hours for students to take advantage of or more options of things to do.” 

Rude wants to make the club more accessible to everyone, yet during events, a low percentage of members attend.

“Between a quarter to a half of members [come to events], pretty low attendance by that estimation,” says Rude. 

Those in multiple honor societies especially are not meeting the standards for at least one of the clubs they are participating in.

For an honors society, it is expected that all hours are completed. Senior Abby Dalrymple, a leader in NHS states, “If you want to meet those requirements, you have to make those efforts.” 

Dalrymple plans to keep the hour opportunities the same for students while including new and exciting events to persuade higher attendance. Still, it’s ultimately up to the students to complete the designated amount of hours. “[If they do not] that’s on them,” Dalrymple says.

Students request more hour possibilities while clubs are wanting more student interaction. Although some clubs are making a strive to support students, most do not plan on changing opportunities and hour chances, putting it on the students to organize their schedule.