Surrounding the plinth in the middle of the courtyard, dozens of white folding tables greet 400 eager students. In the long strip of grass, students throw a football and rack up passing yards. On the outer wall of the English hallway, a pickleball bounces against a paddle. All around, food and candy wrappers fall to the ground, backdropped by the sound of jam bands from a loudspeaker.
The Club Fair is always an exciting Friday for MUS, and this year’s on Aug. 29 was no different.
With 40 new and returning clubs in attendance, the fair showcased unique student opportunities, from religion, to sports, to government.
As one of the more popular sporting clubs last school year, The Pickleball Club, led by Becket Liles ’27 and Benjamin Nichol ’27, shared the common sentiment that there is much more in store for their club this year. “ [We hope] to have a few more tournaments, get more involved. I know people were a little sad we didn’t do enough stuff last year, so hopefully trying to get it better.”
The desire to turn these clubs into legitimate student organizations was mirrored by the special attention paid by the student council. Following a few years of lackluster club showings, the student council and Student Life Director Stephond Allmond ’10 worked tirelessly through seminars and orientations to cultivate a culture of leadership among the club presidents.
Student Council President Will Fortas ’26 saw the impact of this year’s fair. “The Club Fair really brought the campus to life. This year especially, it seemed like the student body was eager to get involved, as people hurried to join clubs and chase their interests. As for the club presidents, I was impressed by their working exceptionally hard to prepare their tables and pitches for the event.”
This year’s fair included new and younger student voices, rather than strictly upperclassmen leaders; Arthur Wharton ’28, president of the Running Club and the Law Club, was the youngest in attendance, and a new student to the school. He spoke highly of the experience.
“Well, you know, I just find it really inspiring to show up because I didn’t go to MUS last year, and it shows the student involvement is great, and I just really wanted to show that I was a part of the MUS community.”
Religious involvement marked this year’s fair. Returning president Haadi Ranjha ’27 of the Islamic Culture and Education Club (ICEC) formed his organization to “have a place where students of different religions can come and learn more about the Islamic faith here on campus.” Senior Watts Liebenow, on a similar note, created the Cornerstone Club, a Christian-faith centered organization.
If this event was any indication, the 2025-2026 school year is shaping up to be one of the student body’s most active.
