Last school year, Ashland High School was forced online, forced to adapt and forced to 

shift the entire idea of how the school will look this coming year. Everything was cut short; 

Teachers’ lessons, team practices and club activities. Last March, with students excited over an 

extended spring break, no one prepared for said meetings to more or less go extinct in the 

 coming months. Many diverse clubs reside at AHS, bringing students opportunities to 

collaborate with their peers and expand on their talents together. Clubs were a way to connect 

through shared hobbies as well as add life to campus. Without the privilege of interacting with 

one another face-to-face, clubs had to learn an entirely different way to collaborate. 

“How are clubs going?” I asked Anabel Ikola, who participates in both the National Arts 

Honors Society and Robotics Club at AHS. “How are clubs going? They’re not.” She 

stops to giggle before elaborating. “They’re going slow; finding meeting times, and getting to 

those meetings has been difficult.” Teachers have been navigating an entirely new interface, 

ways of teaching and ways of interacting with students. Managing clubs have rightfully fallen on 

the back burner. However, our clubs are taking it one step at a time, tackling each issue as it 

comes.  

Ryan Walker, a member of the National Honor Society, looks more on the bright side of 

things. “A lot of things are changing and the way National Honor Society operates is no 

exception. But, we’re taking everything in stride and are turning setbacks into outlets for helping 

the community.”  

At the moment, it seems that clubs adjusting will just take a little more time. 

Have no fear; Theatre will remain a prominent part of AHS. Betsy Bishop, Theatre 

Director at AHS, has been working with the AHS drama club to piece together a digital 

showcase. Clue, inspired by the classic board game, is a digital showcase featuring a fun and 

dynamic storyline. Utilizing Zoom, the audience follows six guests as they navigate a remote 

mansion in the hopes of identifying the killer among them. Today’s current pandemic conditions 

have caused the cast to adapt. Bishop explains, “it’s basically your face and voice that is the most 

important part of it.”  

However, the actors aren’t the only ones adapting. Drama’s tech crew, who 

are already known to fill multiple responsibilities in production, learned to navigate an entirely 

new way technology plays into the play itself. Bishop remains positive, putting an optimistic 

swing on things; she says, “this generation will be stronger by what they’ve seen.” 

Clubs, while they look different, are still serving their intended purpose. Even though the 

transition was dramatic and challenging, students and teachers have overcome their newfound 

obstacles. Even without a campus, AHS took the essence of what a club is and brought it to 

zoom. Though seeing one another in person is not a viable option in the present moment, what 

matters is still there. Clubs are always collaborating and doing good for the community.