Sara Levine
Features Editor
The NCHS Club Fair will be held this Friday, September 23rd. Each year, students are given the opportunity to preview the clubs offered at our school. “It’s an opportunity for kids to get a sense of all the co-curricular activities we offer and to meet with a couple of kids to see if the club is something they might enjoy,” said Club Fair Director Ari Rothman. New clubs are constantly being offered in order to cover a wide range of student interests. “The clubs are always evolving,” Mr. Rothman said. “About half the clubs are new this year because interests change and we try to accommodate that.” Below is a preview of a few of the clubs that will be showcased this Friday.
NCHS Buddies
Megan Paul, Student Leader
When does it meet?
We usually take a poll at the beginning of the year to decide a meeting time, but we tend to meet week nights around 6:00 p.m. to accommodate sports.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to foster friendships between students and students with disabilities. We arrange activities for members in order to facilitate this.
What type of student is the club right for?
The club is right for any student who has an open mind and is looking to make a direct difference to someone’s life. One of the unique things about the club is how you are able to directly see the impact of your efforts.
Is it time consuming?
One of the main complaints we had about being affiliated with Best Buddies were in regards to the monthly friendship requirements, as they were hard to meet during some months (especially when we had breaks). Therefore, we broke away from Best Buddies International and founded NCHS Buddies in order to be more accommodating to people who have less time to commit to the club.
What are your goals for this coming year?
Since we changed from Best Buddies to NCHS Buddies at the end of last year, we hope to lay down a solid foundation for the new club that will last for many years once we have graduated. As always, we also hope to promote more friendships.
History Club
Will Hennessy, Student Leader
When does it meet?
It meets Bi-Quarterly at night typically 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and the day of the week varies.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose is to further understand topics that are being taught in history classes by watching movies. A lot of times teachers will cite movies for frames of references and it is found that by seeing these movies it helps the understanding of the topic.
What type of student is the club right for?
Any kind of student who enjoys movies, history, and (depending on your teacher) extra credit!
Is it time consuming?
Nope! When you sign up you will be put on an email list that will notify you when the movies will take place, and you can show up once a year, or every single time; we’re flexible.
What are your goals for this coming year?
Our goal is to help students understand complicated topics in history through watching movies.
Squash Club
Aly Schmidt, Co-Captain
When does it meet?
We meet 6 days a week, although it depends on your schedule.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to introduce people to Squash, which isn’t as recognized as some of the other racquet sports.
What type of student is the club right for?
The club welcomes anyone! We have people that come and try it who’ve never played a sport before, some people have never even heard of squash and come to play.
Is it time consuming?
Squash practices are about 45 minutes, and once or twice a week they’re an hour and a half. The practices are short, but you work very hard. Our tournaments and matches are usually on the weekends, but it doesn’t take too much time.
What are your goals for this coming year?
Our main goal is to improve the school’s knowledge of the sport. It’s such a great sport to play, but not many people know about it. When I bring it up to other people they always say it’s not a sport and it always upsets me because they haven’t played it and are unaware of the great potential it has to be an official sport of NCHS.
Spectator Literary Magazine
Maggie O’Rourke, Co-Editor
When does it meet?
We meet Monday nights from 7:30-9pm at one of the members’ house.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of our club is for NCHS students to get together and discuss poems, short stories, and artwork of their peers.
What type of student is the club right for?
Our club is for any student who is interested in and appreciative of literature and loves to write! Even though we only meet for an hour and a half each week to discuss other students’ work, we encourage each member of the club to work on written or photographed pieces outside of our meetings so that we have something to discuss.
Is it time consuming?
It’s not very time consuming, we meet once a week.
What are your goals for this coming year?
Our main goals for this coming year are to expand our production to cover more art, including drawings and sculptures rather than simply photographs. Also, we want to expand the number of students involved in the club so that our literary magazine benefits with pieces from a wide range of perspectives.
Play On Words (POW)
Olivia Hompe, Student Leader
When does it meet?
It meets for about 45 minutes to an hour every Friday, starting after the club fair.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to have fun playing Scrabble and other word games, and to meet other students with similar interests.
What type of student is the club right for?
The club is right for any student who enjoys word games and making new friends!
Is it time consuming?
It’s not time consuming at all, during busy weeks (eg. before/during midterms, week before vacation), we will sometimes cancel it.
What are your goals for this coming year?
Our goals for the coming year are to find a pair that can beat me and co-president Will Hennessy in Scrabble, and to maybe pull off a school Scrabble tournament!
Math Team
Maddy Russell, Co-Captain
When does it meet?
Math Team meets on Wednesdays right after school in Ms. Janowski’s room.
What is the purpose of the club?
The club is based on the competitions that take place on the first Wednesdays of each month, where the team competes with schools all over Fairfield county.
What type of student is the club right for?
The type of student who should join Math Team is someone who obviously likes math but also enjoys teamwork and problem solving. No one should feel like he or she is not “good enough” for the team.
Is it time consuming?
Participation on the team is not very time consuming. Members are invited to attend as many or as few meetings as they want, and many manage sports along with Math Team.
What are your goals for this coming year?
This year, we hope to get more people on the team. We need more juniors and seniors!
CharityLink
Greg Brea, Student Leader
When does it meet?
CharityLink meets every Wednesday right after school for about 30 minutes.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to help students build character and leadership skills by taking on charitable projects within the community.
What type of student is the club right for?
This club is right for students who are striving to develop and find themselves as people by aiding and building a stronger community. They must be also be willing to work as a team.
Is it time consuming?
CharityLink is not time as time consuming as many other clubs in NCHS, but it does require commitment.
What are your goals for this coming year?
The goals for the coming year are to build upon last year and to create innovative ways to incorporate the student body, faculty, and community members in participating in charitable events and fundraisers.
Asian Culture Club
Courtney Gallagher, Student Leader
When does it meet?
The club usually meets once a month, usually Thursdays but sometimes Wednesdays.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to explore Asian culture in multiple ways including different games, arts, and crafts, such as origami. We also eat lots of Chinese food.
What type of student is the club right for?
This club is really for any type of student. Students that take Chinese tend to navigate towards this type of club, but for others, it’s a great way to explore the Asian culture in a fun way.
Is it time consuming?
We meet for an hour once a month, usually from 6-7 p.m.
What are your goals for this coming year?
My goal for this coming year is to get more people involved!
Joining clubs are important in order to enhance their experience at NCHS. “We want everyone to feel like they have a connection here,” Mr. Rothman said. If students find that their interests are not represented at the Club Fair, they are also given the opportunity to create a club. “We are constantly promoting the idea of starting a club,” added Mr. Rothman. “Students should get involved in something they’re passionate about.”
