At our recent club fair, students had the opportunity to learn about the dozens of clubs that are offered, focusing on everything from the fine arts and community service to youth in government and academics. All are available to any students who wish to participate.

When asked what he thought about clubs, Principal Scott Hinton said, “School clubs are not just important, they are vital”.

Hinton says that “the goal should be that every student in this building has a deeper connection to this place rather than just being here periods 1 through 8.”

Clubs are important to a school’s sense of community and can also be beneficial at an individual level.

They are also “a way that students manage their mental health,” art teacher Courtney Tinnel said. “It’s very relaxing for them.” Tinnel.

They allow students to meet new people or get involved in new activities they might not have been able to do otherwise. Clubs provide students with a relaxing social environment that they wouldn’t normally get during school hours. They also provide an outlet for student involvement in the community.

When asked about what he thinks makes a good club, Jim Reding, the Environmental Science teacher said, “What I love about the fishing club is that it wasn’t a teacher or myself saying ‘hey, we should have a club. Come join it.’ It was students saying, ‘We want this, how do we make it happen?”

The fishing club is a small example of the big impact students can have on a school when they are encouraged to advocate for what they want.

School clubs provide everything from social to educational opportunities for students. They are an outlet for ideas and creativity and they encourage students to get involved with their community. They are all things considered, a huge part of what makes a high school, a high school.