For some of us, school clubs are a reprieve from schoolwork and one of the best parts of school, while for others, they are simply excess school baggage. This week, we will help you to put into perspective exactly how you feel about school clubs and the requirements attached to them.

Your school encourages a maximum of three clubs and a minimum of two so that students will be involved, but also have time to focus on their academics. You are already in two clubs, but your parents want you to take up another so that you are as involved as you can be.

Your friend is encouraging you to join his or her service club, where the members collectively volunteer at a charity every month. The club is strict and if two consecutive meetings are missed, then the club will not appear on your report.

Your other friend is inviting you to join the school website club, where students mainly sit down to socialise and discuss happenings in the school that they think should be posted on the website. Attendance is not very strict.

Would You Rather:

• Join the service club? (60%)
• Join the website club? (40%)

• “The service club just seems like the better club, so I would join that one.”
– Carlos, 14
• “I’m in two clubs right now and I’m already heavily involved in them as well as in my other interests. So, if I am being forced to join a third club, I’d need it to be something that doesn’t take up too much of my time.”
– Justine, 17

The newspaper club that you are a member of is having a fundraiser, selling cupcakes, to acquire money for printing. They need someone to stay at the booth and sell every day at a particular time. You are the only person who is free to sell at that time, because the other members are usually in class. However, selling at the booth usually takes up all of your lunch time. It’s the final week of sales and the club has almost acquired the amount needed. However, in order to make sure that the amount is reached, they need you to sacrifice your lunchtime for the entire week, otherwise they will have to settle for printing in black and white, which barely ever sells.

Would You Rather:

• Sacrifice a week’s worth of lunchtime to raise the amount needed? (50%)
• Keep your lunchtime and have the newspaper printed in black and white? (50%)

• “I guess if the club really needed it, I could eat after school. I barely eat lunch, anyway.”
– Elliot, 15
• “That seems really unfair for me to be the only one sacrificing my lunchtime for an entire week. They’d have to try and find someone else for some of the days, at least.”
– Nyreka, 16

You are very interested in drama and acting; however, you are shy about performing in front of people, especially when you are not prepared. The drama club at your school is going to put on a play based on your favourite movie. The club posted a flyer stating that anyone who is interested in being a part of the production should come to the auditorium after school to start practising. Persons who participate in the play will be exempt from the drama examination – this is the last bit of encouragement you need to finally join the club. However, when you arrive at the auditorium, the drama teacher tells you that you will have to audition for the play in front of the entire drama club as well as the principal.

Would You Rather:

• Do the audition and finally join the drama club, even though you are not prepared? (60%)
• Leave the auditorium and take the exam, as well as miss your chance to perform in the play? (40%)

• “The benefits outweigh the risk to me, so I’d just do the audition and hope I don’t mess up.”
– Joanna, 17
• “No way, that’s asking for pure embarrassment.”
– Hakeem, 16

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