Just Dance Club- “Despite the name, Just Dance Club is just as much for people who aren’t naturally inclined dancers. Improvement over perfection, right?” said junior Rachel Hudson. Hudson runs the new Just Dance Club alongside dance teacher and Middle School Theater Director Stephanie Simmons, who sponsors the club. This is a low commitment club, meeting only on the specific Friday club times and having different choreography each time clubs meet. Even if dancing is not your best suit, it is worth a try because you might just have a change of heart. Hudson said, “The main purpose of the club is to give a platform for people who want to teach choreography and for people who are tired from sitting all day and want to get up and move a little.”
Karaoke Club: When asked about the reason for starting the Karaoke Club chorus teacher Brad Meyer said, “I love singing alone and with others. I thought there might be others like me. So, I started Karaoke Club.” The Karaoke Club is another new addition under the clubs and activities category. The club is low commitment with students being able to come any week that they would like, and they don’t even have to sing. Singing is an activity that students can take part in even if they don’t have talent in that category. Meyer said, “Karaoke club is very fun, and we don’t judge. We like having humorous performances as well as serious ones, and everyone is welcome and appreciated for trying.”
Life Skills for Adults: The Life Skills for Adults Club or the “Change Tire Club” as students like to call it, is a new club led by Bible teacher Nathan Emmelhainz that helps students learn things for life that aren’t academic. This is a very helpful club that will prepare you for future situations where you might need to know how to change a tire, jump a car or even know how to brown ground beef. Emmelhainz said, “We will be doing activities with automobiles, clothing, cooking and finance skills.” Life skills club is not a high commitment, and students can only come to the meetings for the skills they don’t have. Emmelhainz mentioned that while in his freshman year of college, his roommate did not know how to do laundry or brown ground beef, and that is his inspiration for this club. These skills will be needed for the rest of one’s life, so it is better to learn them now, than have to rely on other people later on down the road.
Phantom Pilots Club: The Phantom Pilots Club originally started last year, but is really taking off this year. IT Technology Department Chair Jewel Anderson is the leader of the club, and she emphasized the importance of drones and how they will be used in the future. Anderson said, “I think drones are awesome, and there will be so many up and coming jobs in the future that have to deal with drones.” For 50 minutes during Program Time, students will be able to go outside and fly the drone and see video footage of what the drone sees. This club is low commitment and does not take place if the weather is stormy. Also, Anderson wanted to mention the attendance of girls. Anderson said, “We need more girls in STEM classes, but specifically Computer Science/Robotics. I would love to see some girls come out!” Phantom Pilots club uses the “Phantom” drone, and it is important to note that this drone is very high quality and nothing like the 100-dollar drones people can buy in stores.
Rana Club: The Rana Club is led by Spanish teacher Guillermo Vallejo, who wants to introduce a game that is a part of the Colombian culture. Vallejo said, “Rana is one of the oldest and most popular Colombian games. You will see people playing no matter where you are in Colombia.” “La rana” is the name of the game which translates to “frog” in English. The objective of the game is to score as many points as possible by throwing iron discs into the table’s holes. This is a club that is not a high commitment at all and you will get to enjoy playing a game all while learning Spanish. Vallejo said, “I am most excited about having a great group of kids who love the game of Rana and will be able to talk about an unknown game with their friends.”
Science Club: The new Science Club is led by science teacher Isiah Hill and influenced by senior Ethan Moon. Hill said, “The main point to this club is to provide students the opportunity to explore and discuss some concepts they are interested in and possibly perform some hands on activities (experiments or demos) that may be outside the curriculum of their high school science classes.” This is not a high commitment club, but if there is an experiment being performed where a certain head count is needed, students would have to let the club know if they want to participate. Lastly, it is important to note that according to Hill, “what happens in science club, stays in science club.”
Wesleyan Outdoors Club: The Wesleyan Outdoors Club is led by science teacher Megan Trotter and Director of Christian life Greg Lisson. Trotter said, “The reason why I took part in this club is because I love the outdoors and hanging out with students.” Although this isn’t a high commitment club, Trotter said “you must have an ‘Ana Hanger-like’ love for the outdoors.” One last fact to note about this club is that the mascot is Lisson’s golden retriever Sam Lisson and he will be attending every event. So, if you like the outdoors and dogs, the Wesleyan outdoors club is for you.
