• pingpong.jpg
    Seniors Anna Balch, Andrew Pridgen, Donald Conley, and Josh Rahman enjoy their club time writing and sharing stories in Creative Writing Club with English teacher Dawson Zimmerman. Melany Mendez.
  • pingpong-1.jpg
    Strength & Conditioning Coach Dustin Wolf plays a match of ping pong while Sophomore Matthew Morse and Seniors Wood Reeves and Kyle Cleveland watch. Melany Mendez.
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    Student Government works hard during club time to plan for events for the high school. Melany Mendez.

Clubs and Activities Encourage Participation In the High School

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After the bell rings marking the end of the 2nd period class on Friday, the student body disperses into their clubs and activities. During this time, students from different grade levels and faculty share time together doing activities they enjoy. English teacher Dawson Zimmerman said, “Club time is the time in my life where I feel most alive.” For Ping-Pong Club sponsor Dustin Wolf, “During club time, thinking stops and doing begins.” This year, there are several returning clubs and activities as well as new clubs that students can join.

This year, Zimmerman is sponsoring the Creative Writing Club, which is a low-commitment club anyone can join. Zimmerman said, “many of our most devout members never even show up.” Whether you are passionate about English or not, “Creative Writing is a club for all people.” Some activities students do is “write creative things, prose and poetry, for no particular reason.” One thing Zimmerman wants students to know is that they “should join this club because we are all meant to write creatively, even if we’re terrible at it.”

Ping-Pong Club is among a few of the most intense clubs. Wolf said, “Ping Pong Club is a sacred time dedicated to being centered in mind, body and spirit. The ancient practice of being one with the paddle. You must feel the ball as it moves through space.” The Ping-Pong Club is a very dedicated club that even has a couple of mantras some of which include, “Don’t fear failure — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail” and “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” If you ask yourself is Ping-Pong Club a low or high commitment, Wolf’s answer is that “it is not a question of high or low. You either are or you are not.”

Not only do clubs run around this time, but different organizations meet as well. Student Government meets during club time to discuss new ideas and projects they would like for the high school to participate in. Sometimes, they split into different groups and discuss among teachers and peers about what lies ahead next. Senior Student Body President, Chloe Hangartner, said, “We meet every Friday and we brainstorm ideas for planning school dances, service projects and special activities.” Hangartner gave a sneak peek about future activities. She said, “We already have some new changes planned for Homecoming Week, and there are more surprises coming up during the holiday season too.”

Hand-in-Hand is also another organization in which several high school students help out in the lower school. Junior Carmen Cook, a Hand-in-Hand member, said, “I always look forward to playing with the kids in the lower school. It is a nice break from high school.”

Students are encouraged to participate in as many clubs as they can. Sophomore Matt Free is involved in various activities like SALSA and Quiz Bowl. Free enjoys doing these activities because “SALSA gives me the opportunity to influence kids younger than me and Quiz Bowl is a time of fellowship that is a relaxed form of a trivia competition.”

However, if you have a test right after club time or just wish to catch up on some homework, study halls are also an option. Study halls are held in various locations by teachers like Mr. Randrup, Ms. Nash or Mr. Tamel. Despite being in a low or high commitment club or just in a study hall room, everyone is engaged with different students and teachers during club time. For a complete list of clubs and locations, see Mr. Krehmeyer’s email.

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