As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, school life at Prep in 2020 looks very different than any time ever previously. Students are only coming to school 2-3 days of the week, teachers take the temperatures of students before class starts, and everyone in the building is wearing a mask. 

Not to mention, sports like football are under strict regulations, with spectators not being allowed in the stadiums. But what about clubs? School clubs are another staple of school life, with about half or more of the student body as a part of one. But, how will clubs function this year during the pandemic? Will they be cancelled like last year? 

Last year, when school initially moved into online learning because of the pandemic, nearly all clubs and activities went on hold completely. These new quarantine restrictions meant clubs couldn’t really do much, so they put all of their activities off for the time being. However, that didn’t mean clubs simply stopped moving. Many club administrators, like the Prep Student Council, used this extra quarantine time to come up with plans for club activities during the pandemic for the next school year. Nearly all clubs were morphing and adapting in order to meet new COVID-19 regulations, and in order to keep students safe while still being respectful of the rules. 

According to Director of Activities Mrs. Sara Smith, many clubs have simply shifted their club meetings from physical face-to-face meetings to online meetings.

“A large number of clubs have just moved their clubs from at school to online,” Smith said. 

After online learning on video hosting apps like Zoom became popular last year, many non-physical clubs saw the opportunity to shift their meetings from in person to online. 

Clubs like Ink Inc., Louder than a Bomb, and the poetry club have completely shifted into meeting online. Clubs like the Math club and Mock Trial are even doing competitions with other students and schools completely online. Smith says that since clubs like these don’t really require physical contact or activity to function, online learning doesn’t really have too much of an impact on club activity. Students still talk and do club activities as normal, but instead of talking face to face, they do it from home. 

Not all clubs can just seamlessly transition to online. Many clubs require the physical presence of students to function. Clubs like the board game club need their members to be in the club room in order to do activities. Many of these clubs simply practice social distancing, hand sanitization, and wearing a mask at all times. 

“As long as a club can function while following social distancing, then they can meet in person at the school like normal,”Smith said.

 However, there is another element that in-person clubs have to keep track of this year; contract tracing.  

All clubs are now required to take attendance of students who come to the meetings, and keep track of who leaves and who meets who. This is a part of another new rule this year, which is made for both classes and clubs. Teachers and administrators have to keep track of which students are where at what time. These records help because if someone gets coronavirus, we can identify who was in contact with the infected person and should be quarantined. 

Many clubs are shifting the focus of their activities due to the pandemic. Habitat for Humanity is shifting their focus this year from working on building houses indoors, which has a higher risk of getting students infected, to a keep Omaha clean theme, which is outdoors and safer. Prep’s Student Council is shifting their focus from planning new events into making the traditional events more accessible and safer during COVID. They have already made many new changes to how things are done this year, from football watch parties at safe distances in the school to adding a media team that informs students about the new COVID precautions. The student council is especially busy trying to find a way to move events that are usually indoors or in enclosed spaces into outdoor spaces where the risk of infection is lower. 

 “[Student Council is] trying to keep and reinforce the sense of community even through the obstacles presented by Covid,” junior Tommy Blake said.

Prep was ahead of the curve on club activities during the pandemic. Due to the quarantine moving school online, students and administrators all over the country had plenty of time to prepare for next year’s unorthodox schedule. However, not all schools did. Mrs. Smith has revealed that schools across the state are still struggling to resume club activities, as a result of their students and administrators not being driven to make sure that their clubs are going to be able to function this year. Of course, not all clubs can make the cut. Some, like the rowing club, simply can’t function without their members being within 6 feet of each other. These clubs are planned to be put on hold this year, and until the pandemic is over. However, the vast majority of clubs are indeed still active, with new, COVID safe rules and regulations to keep the students safe.