This year, our school welcomed two new clubs to our list of activities, adding to a large number of student organizations that provide spaces for students to explore their passions.
The Film Club and the Writing Club, both created earlier this year, have enjoyed success in their first year, with both providing a place for students to pursue their interests with a group of like-minded peers.
The students who helped to found these clubs did so for a variety of reasons. Holly Nguyen, who conceived of the Writing Club, noticed how many talented writers attend our school. In order to create a space where students interested in writing could express themselves freely, she decided to start the Writing Club, with the aid of her faculty sponsor, Fr. Ralph Olek.
Luke Childs and Liam Wolfe, the two students who founded the Film Club, were motivated to start a new club at our school due to their passion for the art of film.
Wanting others to experience their love for film, Wolfe and Childs discovered that many students across the student body had a similar interest in the subject but did not have a specific place on campus to discuss their recent watches or filmmaking techniques. Thus, they decided to create Film Club with the help of faculty moderators Teachers Shannon Juhan and Mike Burns.
Luke Childs explains why he felt strongly about creating the club. “Creating the Film Club allowed us to provide a space where people can share their love of cinema,” says Childs.
Before their clubs were introduced to the student body, the students had to undergo the process to make their student organization chartered in the school. This process requires a structured plan and clear goals to achieve.
First, students interested in creating the club need to come up with an outline for what the club will be about and contact Director of Student Activities Amelia Luke about making their idea approved by the school. The creators are then asked to fill out a packet that details why their club would be a worthy addition to the school community.
Next, club founders need to gather at least fifteen signatures in support of the club to prove that there is shared interest across the student body. Once this signature goal has been achieved, the club founders are then asked to create a rough structure for the club and secure the support of faculty members to act as club moderators.
Finally, the creators of the Film Club and Writing Club crafted posters that they presented at the activity fair, allowing students to discover and join these new student organizations.
The entire process of founding a club, though having many steps, only took around two weeks to complete, according to Luke Childs.
Luke and Liam’s Film Club has been greatly successful in its first year, with over forty students becoming members.
