The beginning of a new academic year also ushers in the revival of clubs on campus. The week of Aug. 8 was club rush, which allowed students to view and sign up for clubs that sparked their interest. During the week of Aug. 15, clubs had their first meetings of the year. 

There are a number of new clubs on campus this year, one of which is the Paddleboarding Club. The club sponsor is Marybeth Vogt, and the meetings are held in her room, C303. The club held its first meeting on Aug. 16, where they went over the basics of the club. The premise of the club is that once a month, students will take a trip on the weekend to a different lake in Arizona and paddle the river. “I thought it was a cool idea because paddle boarding is an activity that people who might not always want to do athletics and sports and stuff like that can do,” explained club president senior Madelaine Balbarin. The first paddle boarding session is planned for Sept. 16. 

Another new club on campus is focused on combining socializing with academics. Connect4College is a new club that focuses on preparing underclassmen for the different aspects and requirements for college applications and helping upperclassmen through the actual application process. The club sponsor is Jerry Bell, and the meetings are held in his room, F220. The club’s first meeting will be Aug. 24. The club president, senior Sharlotta Mozes, claimed, “Throughout my high school experience, I’ve noticed a lot of things that are very basic to get into college aren’t talked about…I figured we could make a club to concentrate on those areas. We’d be able to talk about all those things and help each other out.” Mozes’ goal with the club is to share everything that she has learned through high school with others, to help make the burden of college applications easier. Mozes plans on going over SAT and ACT registration, the importance of volunteer work, scholarships, and athletic recruitment as well. 

A returning club had a name change; African American Culture Club (AAFC) has been renamed Black Student Union (BSU) in an effort to match other clubs of similar purpose across the district. The members of the club plan on making a large presence on campus including attending sporting events and concerts or making visual displays. “Even though African American students are small in number, the students are here. The students are important, and they do have a voice, as do all the students of color. Sometimes, these students’ voices aren’t always heard or aren’t always respected,” elaborated club sponsor John Prothro. BSU allows a safe haven for people to share their stories and their experiences, and not only are they heard, but they are heard by other students who can empathize and relate to what they are sharing. 

There are a large number of clubs that students can join. Here is the complete list. Passes are required to go to club meetings during conferences.