Instead of flyers posted throughout the hall, and candy being handed out to attract people to their tables, the rotunda sits empty. 

With the student body divided between in-person and virtual academy instruction, the annual Club Fair was shifted online for a simple way to navigate all the clubs offered. 

“Club Fair was presented in a new format this year to allow all of our Liberty students equal access to club information regardless of the learning environment in which they are enrolled,” lead counselor Stephanie Mueller said via email. “Students can access the club fair at any time on any day for the remainder of this school year.”

However, clubs like Best Buddies, where the community is a crucial part of their mission, struggled to interact with prospective members the way they have done in years past. 

“I think that the Club Fair has been extremely important for increasing the presence of Best Buddies on campus,” Best Buddies president Paige Ripperger said. “In years past, we usually made a poster and handed out flyers & candy to get people interested with our club and our mission of spreading inclusion, but this year was obviously different. Virtual club fair made it more difficult to interact with prospective students, but we still participated as best we could.”

Nevertheless, the virtual Club Fair allowed students like freshman Ananya Kulkarni to learn more about the clubs from the comfort of her own room without compromising her health.

“One benefit of having a virtual Club Fair was that it helped me explore the clubs without feeling like I was being judged,” Kulkarni said. “As someone with a weak immune system, a virtual club fair also helped me remain safe. I also feel as if I got more time to contemplate as to which clubs I would like to participate in.”