Club Day was chaotic, with swarms of students packed together in the quad and huddled around tables, eager to join various on-campus organizations.

In the midst of this confusing jumble of poster boards and bribes, it was obvious that there was a lack of recreational clubs, especially in comparison to the amount of volunteer, academic and cultural ones present.

Whether a club’s focus be on sports, music or films, the school doesn’t have enough recreational clubs that cater to the interests of students.

In comparison to the other clubs present on campus, recreational ones are relatively few in number. Out of the 75 clubs chartered for the 2007-2008 school year, only about 20 were focused on special interests.

“There need to be more fun clubs. Clubs that you’d spend your free time going to because I think if you have time it should be spent doing things you want to do,” sophomore Kaitlyn Whitley said.

Recreational clubs are a way for many students to pursue their passions without taking away too much of their valuable time.

These clubs do not stress mandatory attendance; instead, recreational clubs tend to be more like outlets rather than obligatory commitments.

“I don’t have a lot of time but I love sports,” Lacrosse Club member junior Mae Santiago said. “The Lacrosse Club was perfect.”

Special interest clubs give students an opportunity to hone their skills and learn more about their hobbies as well. Many attest to their value because of the education they are able to incorporate outside of the classroom.

The Tea Club, which meets on Mondays at lunch in Room 507, is an example of an interest taken to the next level.

The club samples different teas they receive from Peet’s Coffee and Tea and compare them to others that they have previously tasted. They learn the ins and outs of tasting teas in addition to how tea leaves are grown.

“They’re in my mind real clubs doing real things,” Tea Club adviser Keren Robertson said. “They took it seriously, and it wasn’t just silly and a place to gather and have lunch. It did have an educational element as well.”

In addition to helping students learn more about their prospective hobbies, recreational clubs are also great places to meet new people who have similar interests.

“I have always loved video games,” C.Nintendo member freshman Sean Langhi said. “It was an opportunity to play games against people I’d never played before.”

The social factor is definitely an important advantage to recreational clubs because people can bond over their interests.

Clubs like C.Nintendo, which meets Thursdays during lunch in Room 721, allows students to make social connections with others about things they have in common.

People should be able to enjoy their high school experience participating in activities they enjoy, not just spending their time padding college transcripts or doing schoolwork.

Students need to take the initiative to start new clubs where they can pursue hobbies and find others who share the same interests, whether that may involve baking cookies or battling virtual enemies on an Xbox.