An assortment of club leaders stood in front of brightly colored posters on Sept.17, handing pre-packaged candy to students who attempted to navigate through the crowded cafeteria during the lunch period for the first in-person club shopping since 2019. 

Dean of Students Ana Campos and Principal Paul Beekmeyer attempted to control the crowd from the cafeteria stairs while students, many of whom were unmasked while eating candy, shoved past each other. 

Sophomore Jessica Greenstone, however, appreciated having the ability to interact with club leaders during the event this year rather than observing clubs virtually.

“It’s a lot more interactive than it was last year,” Jessica said, “because last year there was just a page of what clubs there were. There wasn’t interaction with the people in the clubs.”

Other students like science team member Lucy Nathwani enjoyed the in-person event but missed the organization of club shopping in 2020. 

“Last year it was a lot quieter because we just submitted videos,” Lucy said. “I think it’s a lot easier to recruit people, which is nice, but at the same time it’s a lot more chaotic.” 

The lack of social distancing and wearing masks made some students including sophomore Yolotozin Martinez concerned.

“Everyone was clustered together,” Yolotzin said. “At the main entrance there was a group of like 20 people.”