By Hannah Duffee
As SOAR High School enters its second semester, clubs have also come back in full force for the final months of the school year! In a moment that made SOAR feel similar to a traditional high school, hundreds of students showed up at the steps of Sage Hall on January 20th for club photos. Some students were standing around for a while, waiting for their club to be called. Others were in so many pictures that the process took up their whole lunch! In order to spotlight these clubs, Journalism has decided to shout out three this month of February! Keep reading to hear from three of your favorite clubs: Girls SOAR High, Mental Health Awareness, and Hispanic Latinx Heritage Club.
Girls SOAR High – Orisha Lamon
Why did you join GirlsBuild?
I joined Girls SOAR High our SOAR High School GirlsBuild team as I was previously part of it in middle school and found the opportunities to be great. Through being a GirlsBuild club you receive the support of different community entities and are able to tackle and assess community issues that actively impact us and our community. The GirlsBuild organization is also a great way to network with other teams and the organization gives our scholarships! At our Girls SOAR High team (GSH) we strive to build bonds between lower and upperclassmen, create school wide and local community change, focus on social justice advocacy, and create a space for females and students often underrepresented!
What can you expect at club meetings?
Expect to have long discussions about project planning!! Aside from creating a space for underrepresented voices and focusing on female empowerment, a big part of being a GirlsBuild club is to create a community project with an issue we find dear. As of now discussions have been getting pretty heated when talking about our future project and its implementation for this year. I would also expect to be ready to be out in the community and actively reaching out to possible speakers and organizations that would be willing to come in and support the club. Some meetings throughout the year were simply conversations, we offered a safe space for students if they needed to mention anything that was bothering them and we made sure everyone was comfortable and understood the importance of these conversations.
What do you plan to accomplish in the second semester?
In our first semester we had several events for our school community. We made bracelets to help promote a sense of solidarity around campus as they symbolize being a part of a community of world wide learners and Girls SOAR High members! Another activity that was actually hosted by our underclassmen was creating an art piece showcasing the different aspects of safety, security and how to care for oneself in an unsafe situation as a female.
For second semester, we have a lot planned! As of now we have been discussing creating a wellness corner of some sort for students to come on by and grab products and materials they need. We mainly want to focus on hygiene products like toothbrushes, toothpaste, wipes, deodorant etc.. alongside a big focus on hygiene for individuals who menstruate as it can be incredibly inaccessible especially in a school setting. We are open to ideas on how we can implement this in a way students can maintain anonymity and do not have to feel ashamed to use the resources available. With this wellness project we hope it continues even after the senior members graduate as it is something that our campus should have!
What legacy do you hope to leave with the club after you graduate?
After I graduate I hope to leave with the underclassmen already aware and knowing what they are doing in terms of project submissions, project planning, and facilitating healthy discussions about issues that tend to impact marginalized populations. I also hope to leave with our prospective second semester project still implemented and supported by GSH and SOAR staff!
I would recommend anyone join GSH, it is an incredibly friendly environment and you can focus on the issues you want to bring to light with the support of our club members, Ms. Justice our advisor (wooooo!!) and the national GirlsBuild organization!!
Mental Health Awareness Club – Aaliyah Bridewell
What is the main purpose of MHAC?
Mental health awareness club is not just a club that has meetings and food. It is much more than that. Mental health is such an important aspect of anyone's life and to spread even a little awareness is crucial for the world and especially for the schools because every child deserves to feel heard and seen. Our mission is to create and implement the word “health” in everyone’s lives. Our physical health would not be healthy if our mental health isn’t either. Everything is connected and it is our goal to keep this topic in everyone’s mind.
Why should people join?
Joining mental health awareness club will allow for a safe space to talk and so much more. The promise from us to you is to change your life even a little and have true care for you. We just want to help make a difference on campus 🌱❤️
What legacy do you hope to leave with it after you graduate?
The legacy I feel is not relevant in this club just because I feel that we don’t need a club to keep mental health an important and mandatory priority in the school curriculum. We all need to talk about it, learn about it, and be about it.
Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Club – Adrianne Mercado
What can you expect at club meetings?
During club meetings we discuss various topics, such as different ongoing events and issues around the world and bring light to many topics that are often disregarded. For example, since February is Black History Month, our first meeting was acknowledging the erasure of Afro-Latinx culture and sharing information about influencers, leaders, books, movies, and other resources for students to support and educate themselves. We try our best to cover as many topics such as learning the spanish language, holidays, and gentrification while having activities such as playing lotería and holding discussions.
What are you hoping to accomplish in the second semester?
Our primary goal for the second semester is the success of Culturefest, an event we’re planning and hosting in April. It’s our way to highlight diversity on campus as students are welcome to host a booth for a country they’re from or their family’s from. By sharing information, food, music, and performances from different cultures, we hope students feel celebrated while creating an unforgettable experience for the first time in our school’s history.
What legacy do you hope to leave with your club after you graduate?
I hope to leave the legacy of opening new doors for diversity on campus. Hopefully an event such as Culturefest can be continued to showcase the amazing cultures SOAR holds. Not only this event, but I hope to encourage students in the club to continue the safe space held for students with a Hispanic or Latinx background and other students to hold discussions, educate each other, and celebrate their cultures.
Thank you to the three clubs and senior officers who participated in this month’s club shoutouts! If you would like to hear more about any of these clubs or would like your own club to be spotlighted, please email 169998@students.avhsd.org.
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