Chai club has been rapidly gaining popularity this year. With more than 90+ clubs on campus, this is one of the many student-led clubs. The club has over 100 students, being one of the largest clubs at Perry, despite having only started this year. 

The president of the club is senior Adhithya Balamurugan, and the vice president is senior G Ban. G and Balamurugan were the ones who came up with the idea to initially start the club. Balamurugan’s love for chai tea was his motivation for creating the club. “Chai is part of my culture, and it has always been something I enjoyed, and we wanted to bring it to Perry,” said Balamurugan. “In the club, we also learn about the history behind chai,” added Ban.

In the chai club, students meet up during conferences on block days. Members of the club make the chai, and they go around Perry serving it to teachers around campus. This act can count for service hours for students towards programs like the National Honors Society.

The unique way of getting service hours has appealed to students with a passion for chai tea. Although chai club can count for service hours, there is concern that this may lead students to join solely for this purpose. Balamurugan believes that serving chai should count for service hours. “Our club does count for service hours, and NHS does accept them. Hours can be given out to any kind of volunteer service, and I actually think we are providing a service to teachers, and we’re only giving to teachers that ask for it,” said Balamurugan. 

The members pay with their own money to work and make the chai. “We put in a lot of work, and we can’t just do this without any help. We’ve set up stands, club groups, and more and that also counts for service hours,” said Balamurugan. 

Chai club provides an opportunity for students to get service hours for what they enjoy spending their free time doing. Students volunteer to provide chai to the staff while furthering their understanding of the background of the tea. If you are interested in joining the club they meet in C207 on Tuesdays during conference.