At Howell High School, there is a point of pride in the wide variety of courses and outside-of-class experiences that are offered. Some of these include the athletics and performing arts departments. For students who want to channel their passions outside of these settings, they have the opportunity to create clubs to pursue their interests further.
“It is a great opportunity for them to have other experiences besides academics. It is an area where they can focus on something they might be interested in. We have a wide variety of clubs that meet student’s interests. Students can start clubs themselves,” Assistant Principal Ms. Lisa O’Connor says.
Over the years, some clubs have created popular events that have become a part of the Highlander Community. Interests have continued to evolve, leading to the creation of new clubs or the return of some after interest is regenerated.
Math club is an example of a club that previously existed and is now being revamped. In the past, students met to delve further into mathematical concepts, but now, students involved in this club are taking on competitions such as the American Mathematics Competition. Even if students are not interested in participating competitively, attending a meeting with “The Radicals” weekly after school can help students explore mathematical concepts.
“The mission is to promote learning about math, and people who love math or find it interesting can create a community or group of people who want to work on math and collaborate and learn any sort of math, really,” junior Bella Farrell says.
Just like math club covers a concept that a student might find interesting, the same can be said for the classic movie club. This club started at the end of last school year during flex when Mr. Grenier and a few Quizbowl members decided to start a community where students could find an opportunity to discuss history concepts within classic films.
“The primary purpose of this club is to spread awareness of older media and of culture that is present in the past,” senior Liam Clark says.
Just as the classic movie club circles around the art of film, students with a green thumb can partake in gardening. This club is something that Ms. Carder, along with some students, have wanted to create for a while. Projects are underway, and there are plans to continue doing things within the greenhouse this school year. This club typically meets Mondays after school in I-4, for those interested in gardening.
“We want to grow fruits and vegetables to hand out to the Highlander Cafe and some of the flower beds at the freshmen campus. We want to make them prettier because they are kind of ugly and just make things pretty,” sophomore Loralei Miller says.
Finding students who want to take part in these clubs is only part of being able to get them started. To get the chess club going, there was student interest but a difficult time finding an adviser. While Mrs. Hacker has now volunteered to be the teacher sponsor, getting the chess club going every Thursday after school took perseverance and effort.
“I am the keeper of the applications, so if someone is interested in starting a new club, they can come and see me. I can show them where the application is and guide them through that process. I also will look for sponsors and send out, you know, requests for sponsors. If there is a club that doesn’t have a person on staff, we can have a person who is not a staff member be a club sponsor, but we prefer to have someone who is a staff member,” Ms. O’Connor says.
Therefore, if students are interested in expanding their knowledge and experiences outside of the classroom, they can create or join clubs within those interests.
“It is super fun. It is a great way to spend time with students in areas where they can shine and have you know an interest. It is not a classroom setting; it is not an academic they are learning. It’s just a great way to see a different side of students,” Ms. O’Connor says.
