On Sept. 17th, a host of student activities presented before a crowd of parents at the activities fair, held during open house.

Traditionally, the fair was held during a morning assembly before a student audience. Principal Ed Klein moved the fair to the evening in an effort to make it more interactive.

Club displays conveyed meeting locations and goals, along with a signup sheet. Many clubs, including model United Nations and speech and debate, went further by propping their awards up for display.

The clubs represented a variety of fields, from international affairs to environmental science. Such a selection of clubs would seem to arouse some interest in the student population; however, many club members felt that the activities fair was more beneficial for parents than students.

David Kaye, a member of Big Brother, felt the activities fair did not reach enough students.

“Adults are signing [their kids] up for these clubs, not the kids [themselves],” he said.

Academic challenge member Jay Rajan agreed. “The activities fair is supposed to be [the most] beneficial for freshmen,” he said.

Some suggested that the fair should be incorporated within the school day as it has been in the past. Principal Ed Klein is considering this possibility. “The first Monday or Tuesday of school or even freshman orientation could work,” he said.

Even though the activities fair did not reach many students, there was a consensus among club members that they preferred display tables to a brief pitch during an assembly, which has been done in prior years.

“No one pays attention to a 30 second pitch during an assembly,” Klein said. This is the primary reason why he decided to change the arrangement of the fair.

Club presenters felt that the table setup allowed for more personal connections between presenter and listener, which Klein had initially hoped for.

Klein feels more could be done to improve the activities fair in the future.

“Advertisements for clubs can be posted throughout the school for next year,” he said.

Other club members suggested making more space for the elaborate displays brought by some clubs, such as robotics.

Klein hopes to continue the enthusiasm surrounding BHS clubs and activities, no matter the venue in which they are presented to students.

“We need to celebrate success in our classes, in our clubs and in our sports teams,” he said.