On Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 Berkeley High School hosted their Fall Club Fair. Summarizing the fair in four words, John Villavicencio, director of student activities, said it is an event where “students’ passions come alive.”
With the official start of the 2025-26 school year came the first semester Club Fair, an event for students to discover BHS’ many student clubs. The Club Fair is a way for students to find or promote different clubs on campus.
Taking place during second period on the Athletic Plaza, over 100 clubs gathered, ranging from service-oriented clubs to music clubs to sports clubs. The fair was organized by Villavicencio and Chief of Clubs Sophie Pomfret.
Some students find this to be a time at BHS for them to meet new people, connect with others over a shared passion towards a topic, and expand the communities that they are apart of.
The Club Fair happens twice a year and is a BHS tradition. “The Club Fair offers an opportunity for members of the community, regardless of their age, their class, or their status on campus, to connect over those passions, interests, and maybe learn something about a new thing they never heard of before, or learn something about people they know but didn’t know that they were into,” Villavicencio said. He also explained that although there tend to be multiple clubs of the same type, the school is populated enough for everyone to receive equal support and attention.
Many new clubs have taken the scene this school year, with over 20 new clubs joining 24 hours before the club leader lunch meeting that took place the Friday before the fair.
Sophomore Ella Galachyan is starting a new club this year called Music for Health. The club is made up of student musicians who play music in healthcare facilities, aiming to lift the spirits of those there. “I would say the Club Fair is kind of chaotic if you don’t know what you want to do or where to go, but if you explore the right areas, then I think you’ll find a lot of passionate people in the same area as you,” Galachyan said.
Villavicencio explained that the purpose of the Club Fair being in the fall, among other things, is so that students can feel more comfortable and safe in such a big environment, and the goal is for people to bring out their authentic selves. Putting effort into a cause or engaging in an activity can help students feel more connected to school.
This year, three adjustments have been made to ensure that this resource is utilized to its full potential. First, teachers followed a specific bell schedule to provide equal exposure to various clubs during the fair. Next, four rotations were planned, each lasting 30 minutes, allowing every student and staff member to visit multiple tables. Lastly, the addition of providing slideshows to facilitate student participation was implemented.
With the sheer number of club options, students explored the clubs that stood out to them most. “The most interesting club I saw at the Club Fair was the Women’s Student Union,” BHS sophomore Karina Treynor said, “I think it’s really cool to see women united ... I think it’s important to be represented as a woman.”
“I really hope that by having everyone go, especially staff who have not been in the past, they’ll see a side of (BHS) that they have never seen before,” Villavicencio said.