The 2023 Eagle Fest on October 6 showcased Skyline’s most prominent clubs to encourage sign-ups. Before the homecoming football game, the anticipated event took over the courtyard to show off what the clubs had to offer. Groups like the Granite CEO program and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) filled 50 tables to draw in new members. Minhanh Le, in charge of Public Relations for Art Club, said, “My favorite part about Eagle Fest was seeing all the different clubs that Skyline had to offer, and it’s a good chance to meet new people that have similar interests with you.”
In late September, club leaders were encouraged to reserve a table for the event. Some groups ran games/activities to promote their club such as FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) which gave out free snow cones at their booth. Carol Rodrigues helped run the table, and she said, “We were pretty popular. It was a hard thing to be able to get done.” Candy, stickers, and other treats were incentives for people to visit club booths. Offering these to attendees not only encourages people to visit a table, but also provides an opportunity to start a conversation which can lead to a new member.
Hosting Eagle Fest before homecoming encourages a higher turnout because many people will be going to the school to see the anticipated football game. However, the game happened in October rather than September, which meant Eagle Fest would occur later than usual. Zoey Ng is Para Tu Salud’s Vice President this year, and she noted, “I loved the vibes and community at Eagle Fest. I would change the date it was on. Several clubs intended to begin meetings earlier in the school year, but Eagle Fest ended up being too late.” This later date and a lack of information given out before the event were common criticisms, but even with those problems, students generally noted that the event was a positive experience.
Eagle Fest is considered by many to be an essential part of club culture at Skyline, which is why 50 tables were needed to house all of the clubs. Brooke Schwartz, Vice President of Art Club, noted that, “Overall experience was really fun! I loved seeing all the other clubs… I felt like the amount of time we had was good.” Despite the large turnout, the event was mostly cleared out within twenty minutes after running for around two hours.
