For the first time in nearly two years, Whitman held its annual Clubs Night event on September 23. 

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Clubs Night took place in the cafeteria and the main courtyard. This year, due to COVID-19 safety protocols, administrators largely held Clubs Night outside. Student club leaders either set up their booths in the bus lane or in the small gym, and food trucks sold empanadas, hot dogs and ice cream to club-hunting students. 

The wind may have knocked down a trifold board or a few, and deafening music may have made some conversations difficult to hear. Yet between Clubs Night and the boys varsity soccer game that same night, the Whitman community was out in full force, and the in-person school spirit students missed in the 2020–21 school year had returned.

Although indoor Clubs Night was a long-standing Whitman tradition, many students, like junior Vonn Russell, expressed interest in bringing back this year’s format in the future. 

“This setup is a lot nicer,” Russell said. “It’s actually open, and it’s much better than being packed in the courtyard and the cafeteria.”