Students who only sign their names and email addresses on a sheet of paper may have called themselves club members in the past, but, fortunately, this is no longer the case.
Many clubs will limit memberership to students who are truly interested, creating a more productive group. Advisers will give students a target number of points they must earn before they can call themselves official members. These points can be accumulated by participating in activities run by the club. When the target is reached the student then becomes a member and can list the club on his or her resume.
   All students know that one of the main perks to joining a club is that it will, one day, end up on their college resume. In the past, many students signed up for clubs and perhaps paid dues and went to one or two meetings before they were never seen again. As a result, only a small group of active members exists in each club.
“Students think they have to be       involved in everything. They need to pick things that    they can be consistent with,” said guidance  counselor Candace Kilmer.
“Students signed up for Italian Club just to put it on their resume but never actually participated in anything or went to any of the meetings. This was       totally counterproductive. With the system we are introducing, we are trying to make sure that everyone who says that they are a member of Italian Club is actually a productive member,” said senior Teresa Cannone, Italian Club president.
When students are focused directly on the club instead of on their resume, they are able to accomplish more. “In order to be considered a member you must accumulate 200 points. We’re hoping that by doing this we will weed out kids who join and don’t make an effort, and we also hope it will make all of our activities more successful, ultimately making a bigger impact on the community,” said senior Olivia Checchio, Students Concerned for the Needy (SCN) vice president.
The point system should become standard operating procedure for all clubs and school organizations. Imagine how helpful the SCN pajama drive and food drives could be if all of the members of the club were active participants. They could feed and clothe more families and children than ever before! This system will allow service activities for any club to flourish, making them not only more successful but also more meaningful for the club, the school and the greater community.