As the 2020 school year begins, new clubs have been established at our school, in addition to the already ample selection of extracurriculars. This year, we welcome the Smile Squad and the YHS Students Demand Action clubs to offer spectacular activities and a significant opportunity to explore new interests. The clubs and activities offered at our school have a range of interests, style and requirements. 

The Smile Squad was founded by sophomores Mia Lodwig and Mackenzie Kaczmarek at the end of the last school year. The main motivation for the creation of this club was to create an environment that was fun for participants, but also impactful for the community, ensuring that everyone involved is being benefited. There are two types of meetings that the club offers, and they switch off between the two each time they meet. The first type is partaking in an activity that is good for the community. This may include hosting potlucks, making cards for cancer patients, organizing goodie bags for the custodial staff and many more beneficial activities for our community. The other type of meeting that the club entails is doing something beneficial for participants of the club. These types of meetings include watching movies or going out to eat. 

“People should join the Smile Squad for monthly fun activities and a chance to get involved and make an impact on our community,” Kaczmarek said. 

The Smile Squad is the perfect club to join if students are looking for a fun way to destress and to get community service hours. Doing activities and services that are beneficial to the community allows students to feel a sense of self fulfillment. The club meets once or twice a month on Thursdays in Room 249, which is the sponsor, English teacher Chrissy Wiedemann’s room. Currently, there are 48 members involved and they would love new participants. 

Another club that is new to the 2020 school year is the YHS Students Demand Action club. This club was designed to open up the discussion of gun rights inside the school and to push for common sense gun legislation in the community, state and country. The club was created in May of last year by then-juniors Georgia Beatty and Emma Rosman and it consists of over 50 members. 

“We created the club at the end of last school year because there was a lack of a platform for bipartisan discussion among students about the gun violence epidemic in our country,” Beatty said. 

A typical club meeting consists of participants in a discussion sharing their own opinions and bringing new facts and stories to the table. The club is looking for new participants, so feel free to stop by Room 314, which is social studies teacher Ryan Zito’s room. Along with Zito, Wiedemann and Spanish teacher Margaret Johnson are also involved and students can go to these supervisors with any questions they have.

Students should join this club to have the opportunity to share their opinions and listen to others about a topic that is extremely relevant in our society today.

It is extremely important to be involved in our school in more ways than purely academic. A great way to reach out and have an unforgettable high school experience is to take part in a club. The Smile Squad and the YHS Demand Action are just two of the amazing clubs offered at our school.