Leading Together - A Closer Look at Club Leadership
By Rebecca C.
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I’m sure that most of you are plenty aware of the existence of this not-so-little part of NorthStar: clubs! Many of you have participated in live club calls and submitted entries for activities and (hopefully) had a lot of fun with these things! But it takes a lot of work to keep NorthStar’s unique clubs running smoothly and fun for everyone, and so it would stand to reason that a unique leadership style is required. Let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of leaders it takes to make clubs click!
There are a few kinds of leaders in a club. The first is a student leader. A student leader does things such as pursuing friendship with other students, leading live calls in Teams, posting meaningful content and games, and monitoring their club. Each new club needs at least one student leader according to Mrs. Velasquez’s “Community Training & Info Sheet” for new clubs.
Each club at NSA also needs an advisor. A club advisor is an adult partner who supports kids in discipleship, logistics, and supervision. They oversee club events and make sure everything is running smoothly. If student leaders have questions or need a hand with something, they can ask their adult partner and they can hopefully figure it out together.
But that’s not the end of the story with adult partners. There are also two optional kinds of adult partners that can help clubs grow. The first is called a Journeyman. A Journeyman is a person who is an expert in the club’s specialization. For example, an art club might have an art teacher as their Journeyman or a science club might have a science teacher. This person might hold a workshop on a certain topic or provide bits of advice for students.
The third kind of adult partner is called a Guide. A Guide will direct students to various clubs based on their interests. A Guide makes themselves aware of what events and projects are going on in various clubs. In a nutshell, their job is to spread the word about opportunities for students to have fun and connect.
Eva, one of the leaders of the recently “remodeled” Equestrians Club, says, “Having an adult advisor has been awesome because I can ask questions and get advice, while also having co- leaders to help guide the future of the club.” The Equestrians Club certainly has grown quite a bit since moving into a new space and gaining some new leaders. They now have a total of 51 members and 43 active users, and have had some fun and successful event weeks.
Zoe is a high school student who is a leader of the Aspiring Filmmakers Team. When asked about what she thought of NorthStar’s approach to having a blended team of leaders, she said, “A blended team of leaders helps clubs to grow because of the different backgrounds that we all come from. It’s always interesting to discuss with each other new ideas and developments to implement into our team.” There are now 49 members in the new and improved film club, and there’s always room for more!
You don’t have to go to the moon and back to make a difference. Sometimes, just doing something as simple as holding a fun event in Teams or telling someone about a club can really brighten someone’s day. If you are interested in some sort of position in leadership, reach out to Mrs. Kristi Velasquez for more information. Who knows what you might accomplish?
Rebecca C. started at NSA in January of 2021. She lives in Massachusetts in the US. She is in 8th grade and enjoys filmmaking, writing, and loves animals.