First Virtual Club Fest Held at IPA

October 7, 2020

ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY held its first virtual Club Fest last month. The annual event for Secondary students is a preview and showcase of the various clubs active on campus. Traditionally, Club Fest is held on the Secondary lanai, and each club sets up a booth where club members can answer questions for students interested in joining. This year, however, Club Fest went virtual on Zoom.

Translating the traditional format of Club Fest into a virtual one took a lot of planning, organizing, and creativity by the five Executive Council members (Secondary student government), under the guidance of Leisha Bento, Student Activities Coordinator, and Andrew Marchetto-Ryan, College, Career, and Life-Readiness Counselor.

“Kailer ‘21, Ally ‘21, and Maddie ‘21 created a timeline of tasks and made forms to collect information from students,” explains Bento. “Ocean ‘21 compiled a Club Fest video of one-minute commercials submitted by the clubs. And Preeya ‘21 posted the club flyers on the IPA Student Life Instagram account.”

A few days before Club Fest, Secondary students had time in their Puʻuhonua classes to research different club offerings through the commercials and flyers. They then signed up for three clubs they were interested in learning more about.

During Club Fest, the Executive Council led a welcome session for all students on Zoom before they dispersed to the different clubs, with club officers hosting 10-minute question and answer Zoom sessions.

“We were very pleased with how this first virtual Club Fest turned out, especially with the number of students who participated and then joined clubs,” shares Bento. “There were a few minor hiccups that we’ll keep in mind for our next one. But overall the Executive Council and everyone involved did a great job.”

With more than seven honor societies and 17 clubs to choose from, there is no shortage of opportunities for students to connect with others who share their passions and interests – something all the more critical with the transition to distance learning.

“Clubs have become even more important today because of the isolation students have experienced over the past six months,” shares Bento. “Clubs provide a sense of normalcy, community, and belonging that teenagers thrive on. Thankfully, IPA offers a wide variety of clubs that expose students to new experiences and interests.”

For a list of all the club offerings, visit the student-managed IPA Student Life website, and see some of the club flyers and video commercials below.