The verdict was clear. No clubs were to run in Central York High School under a pandemic. Many club leaders are not disappointed by this. In fact, they are actually optimistic about what the future holds.

For larger clubs like Envirothon, students are still making good progress as they study hard throughout each week for their upcoming competition in May. Both the county and state competitions will be virtual: most likely over zoom. The national competition is yet to be decided. 

Envirothon coach and chemistry/biology teacher Stephanie Linz, has a struggle with communication with her club members.

“[I would] definitely be able to zoom if I was allowed to,” Linz said.

This rule and many others are set in stone by the district. Even though many rules are changed, the curriculum for Envirothon has not been changed. Students will be studying the same material as last year. This could affect how the students study, as they could just look over their notes from last year and not work as hard. Not being able to meet in school could also have an impact on the connection of the students. But to Linz, just being able to participate in the club is good enough. 

“Being able to participate in things you enjoy will definitely help [the students] feel more normal,” said Linz.

Other smaller clubs are not performing as well as some of the larger ones are. Junior Aaron Kibler, President of Earth Savers, and Marching Band percussionist talked about what few accomplishments the club have completed. The main thing is the project the Earth Savers had since last year. The Earth Savers Club was known for collecting bottle caps throughout last year. 

“[We] have enough lids left to probably make a fourth bench,” Kibler said. 

The three benches are currently in and outside the school, ready for use. While it is good that they have made some progress, they have lost more than they gained. COVID-19 has stopped all income of bottle lids and many of the club’s most valuable members graduated last year. Even with all these downsides, the Earth Savers are ready to start as soon as they get the green light.

“In concerns of bouncing back, safety is the number one priority,” Kibler said. 

The Earth Savers has a plan in place for when clubs can meet again. This involves six feet of social distancing when sorting bottle caps, as well as requiring club members to wear masks and gloves while sorting. Club members will have a schedule on which meetings they will show up to while every meeting will have at least one club leader present. Even with all the precautions, Kibler has some concerns.

“I personally believe all clubs should not open up,” Kibler said. 

If just one member of the club would get COVID, the entire club would have to quarantine. This could have a large impact on the students switching from in-person to online. But with certain clubs being so large, it would be really hard to stay COVID free.

Even with many hardships, many clubs have gotten many things done, be it one or two things to finishing off a curriculum. Though one thing is for sure, all of these clubs are ready to bounce back as soon as they are able.