CLUB NIGHT 2024
September 14, 2024
Photography by GRIFFIN BREAULT ‘27 & MARI CHAPARRO ‘25
By ARYAN AGARWAL, ALEX LIM, and LEON XIE
Clubs at Exeter are a critical part of extracurricular life, spanning a range of topics that seem to cater to everything a student could possibly be interested in. Students, especially new ones, can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of options, which is where Club Night comes in. An annual event near the beginning of the school year, every club in the school congregates with booths, decorations, candy, and other items, all to display their club to the rest of the school, recruiting new members as they pass.
This year, the event, held on Sept. 14, took place in Love Gym. Hundreds of students gathered in the space, strolling through the gym, new and returning alike, signed up for clubs and had a good time.
Meghan Tate Zee, co-head of Hong Kong Society, discussed the club’s plans for the night. “We reserved a table and we’re gonna make a fun poster and flyers. We’re going to stand there and be very inviting to everybody to hopefully join Hong Kong Society.”
Reflecting on her time last year during Club Night as a prep, Zee said, “I really loved it. It was chaotic but in a fun way. And it was nice because, not only do you get to learn more about Exeter and what kind of extracurriculars you could be doing at the school, but you also get to see everybody. When I was a prep last year, it was just nice to get to know more people.”
After the event, she said, “We did really well, and we did recruit a lot of people, whether they are from Hong Kong or not, because we are a cultural club, which means anybody can join. It was really fun since we met a lot of people who either grew up in Hong Kong, were born there, or had some sort of relationship there.”
Senior Ben Soriano, co-head of Korean Society, said, “Honestly, bribing people with snacks is the way to do it. So, the plan is to get a bunch of Korean snacks and hope that people have a good time. Hopefully people will be able to appreciate the culture.”
Regarding his experience with Club Night in the past, Soriano said, “I think it’s been fun all four years. My prep year, it was outside on the quad. I’m going to be honest, it was actually a little bit more confusing because they had two tents set out on both of the quads, so, you didn’t really know how many clubs you’re going to be able to go to. In Thompson, it’s nice having everything in one spot. That said, it’s really busy and it gets really hot. It’s really claustrophobic. So, I think if we could do it in Love Gym again, that would be ideal.”
Senior Dhruv Nagarajan, co-head of Exeter Economics Association and Exeter Industrial Society, co-president of Exeter Business Club, and co-captain of Daniel Webster Debate Society, said, “I think club night is a really great event, particularly for new students to be able to see all the clubs that they’re interested in joining. You see a lot going on, you hear a lot going on, and it speaks to how diverse the interests of our community are.”
Nagarajan discussed decorations for the stand of Exeter Economics Association. “We had our typical poster, but we do a lot of competitions, so we decided to bring our trophies, because in the past, those have generally attracted new students who are more competitive.”
He said, “What I’ve noticed is that the trophies and all tend to attract the new kids, but they’re not the reason the new kids stay. The reason the new kids stay is because they’re actually interested in what we’re doing in the community. But at the end of the day, at Club Night, the goal is to try to get the most new kids to at least show some interest and sign up, come to the first couple meetings, and see if they like it.”
At Exeter, where students may often be pressed for time, clubs are a component of school life that needs to be given considerable thought. Thankfully, Club Night provides a single-night experience where every student-led organization can advertise and advocate to visitors.
